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FRUIT RAISERS^ AxNB FAH.MEK?>' 



GUIDE AND EECEIPT BOOK; 

CONTAI.MNv; 

f 

. MANY GOOD iiUJ.ES W>R 

RAISING FRUIT, 

UPON THL DIFFERENT FORMS AND ARTS: 

i.'OLLrCTKD WlXrr GRKAT CAHE 

FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES THAT COULD BE HAD. 

BY DAYID seaman; 



ART AND INDUSTRY, 

A1»D HOW TO PROTSCT AGAINST DISEASES BT WORXXNG WITH THE 

COURSE OF NATURE. 



Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1863, by 

DAVID SEAMAN, 

In the Chrk^i Office of the District Court of the United 

States for the District of Ohio, 

i 



^ %> > 



FRUIT RAISERS' AND fJ^^ 

GUIDE AND RECEIPT BOOK; 




CONTAINING 



MANY GOOD RULES FOR 

RAISING FRUIT, 

UPON THE DIFFERENT FORMS AND ARTS: 

COLLECTED WITH GREAT CARE 

FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIB6 THAT COULD BE HAD. 



BY DAVID SEAMAN 



Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1853, by 

DAVID SEAMAN, 

In the Clerk'' s Office of the District Court of the United 

States for the District of Ohio, 






7^^' 



FRUIT RAISERS AND FARMER'S 

GUIDE AND RECEIPT BOOK: 

CONTAINING 

MANY GOOD RULES FOR 

EAISING FRUIT, 

UPOIf THE DIFFERENT FORMS AI^D ARTS : 

COLLECTED WITH GREAT CARE 

FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES THAT CAN BE HAD. 



BY DAVID SEAMAN 



It 



CINCINNATI 
1863. 



• ••.■ 






NOTE TO THE READER. 

This work was written out for publication in the years 
1850-1-2, but has been neglected. It is not written out 
in great style, like some v/orks, but it is designed to give 
the reader some knowledge of some new, very interesting^ 
and good modes, rules, &c., in the ways of our days and 
times. 

)y traasfer /ro» 
Pali. Offlo« iiib. 







The writer of this work has kept a journal of all his 
travels and work for many years, and when any timber 
was cut, or any work done, it was set down, and by taking 
notice of the different times in the year, and how and when 
timber was cut to season, dry and light, or hard and heavy, 
&c. ; a long experience in trying different modes in set- 
ting out fruit trees, and horticultural arrangements in its 
many forms, will prove how one should do to get rid of 
the many diseases that the farmer has to contend with in 
his agricultural pursuit. No one can tell how the many 
diseases come on, unless he has a long experience and 
close observation in all these arrangements. Many people 
say that the time for doing any work whatever has nothing 
to do with the moon ; but they may be satisfied by close 
observation. Let us look into a few things. In the first 
place, the earth and ocean are joint bodies connected to- 
gether. The moon attracts the water, so that it rises and 
falls, and w^ien the moon runs high the tides are high, 
and when the moon runs low the tides are low ; and if the 
moon will attract the water, why not, then, suppose that 
the moon has some effect on the earth. When the moon 
is five times nearer to the earth than the sun is, and the 
sun is invisible often when the moon is visible, and when 
the moon runs high the weather is cold, and w^hen low the 
weather is warm. These facts are well known, and why, 
then, should we doubt the effect of many things on the 
earth? At one' time I did not think that the moon had 
any effect on the earth, but in taking notice for a long time 
I discovered that many things often were affected by the 
moon, and if people will do so they may be convinced. 
And a good many things are more or less affected, and 
how and when. Pine timber, many years ago, when cut 



(4) 

and put in use, the worms would soon eat it up so that it 
was worth but little. I cut sap pine timber and put it in 
a house in the year 1828. at the time of new moon, and 
the moon running or rising high, and that timber is still 
good and sound. Some say that flour keeps best if ground 
at that time in the month of March. 

Some people may consider these statements a whim and 
simple, therefore they will never know what could or might 
be done, but there would be no harm in trying what could 
be done, or might, &c. Again, some do say that all things 
come by chance, or happen to be so. But let us look at 
things more particularly. It is the men of study and 
thought who, in the long run, govern the world; the great- 
est moral truths spring from their discoveries. It is their 
writings which render their truths fruitful, which popular- 
ize them, which make them penetrate the minds of the 
people at large, and impress upon them an indelible char- 
acter of rectitude. The spirit of union among men of 
science is the certain presage of the union of nations. 
There are several kinds of attraction, as the attraction of 
electricity, of magnetism, and of gravitation. But the lat- 
ter is the only principle of attraction by which the motions 
of the celestial bodies are either regulated or disturbed. 
Gravitation or gravity is a principle, property, power, or 
law of nature, by which all matter; universally and recip- 
rocally attacts all matters. It is gravity w^iich occasions the 
weight of bodies on the earth, or on the surface of any 
planet or globe. Gravity belongs equally to all matter, 
and acts without the least intermission. The power or 
influence of gravity varies inversely with the square of the 
distance. A body therefore weighing twelve and a quar- 
ter pounds at the surface of the earth, if conveyed ten thou- 
sand miles above the surface, would there weigh but one 
pound. We must suppose its weight to be tested, however. 



by means of an elastic spring, for by scales or steelyards 
it would weigh the same as at the earth's surface, because 
the counterbalance would be subject to the same diminu- 
tion in weight. A rock, in like manner, weighing 3,600 
pounds at the surface of the earth, if conveyed to the dis- 
tance of the moon, would there weigh but one pound, for 
the square of the moon's mean distance is 3,600 times as 
great as the square of the earth's semi-diameter, and the 
force of gravity diminishes as the square of the distance 
increases. 

Cycle. Any certain period of time in which all the cir- 
cumstances to which cycle has reference regularly return. 
The most noted chronological cycles are the four follow- 
ing : 1. The solar cycle, a period of 28 years, after which 
the days of the month will fall on the same days of the 
week as in the same year of a former cycle. 2. The me- 
teoric or lunar cycle, a period of 19 years, after which the 
change, full, and other phases of the moon will return to 
the same days of the month as in the same year of a for- 
mer cycle. 3. The Eoman indiction, a period of fifteen 
years, first instituted by Constantine in A. D. 312, and 
observed among the Romxans as a period for collecting 
certain taxes. It was afterwards introduced into chronology. 
4. The great Julian Perion, a cycle of 7,980 years, after 
which the years of the solar cycle, lunar cycle, and indiction 
will all be the same as in thesame year of a former cycle ; 
provided the course of nature shall continue without inter- 
ruption. The number of years in cycle arises from the 
multiplication of the years of the other three cycles to- 
gether. The com.mencemxent of this period is of ante- 
mxundane date, for no later than the year B. C. 4713 could 
the other three cycles begin together. In what manner 
are we to ascertain the quantity of matter contained in a 
planet ? As the precious ores of gems, which exist be- 



(6) 

neath the surface of the earth, are not to be obtained with- 
out the application of the spade, and sometimes of the 
mattock, in like manner those philosophical truths which 
do not lie naked upon the surface of things, cannot be dis- 
covered without investigation. Here we see that all things 
that do exist and are, have their regular turns, &c. If all 
these matters are by chance, then in the same rules by 
chance at certain lengths of time all have their turns. 

All farmers should have this work. Many fine horses 
and cattle can be saved by some of these instructions. — 
Many very good receipts for families, w^hich are every day 
needful, and often save life ; which in all cases will do no 
harm, and if risrhtlv carried out will give satisfaction. 
There is so much humbuggery afloat these days that peo- 
ple are in fear of being cheated ; but this work will give 
light on some of the most important subjects that ever have 
been discussed. Some may doubt, but let them try and 
see if they can do better. 

There are many things afloat in the world to make money 
with, and many cures for many complaints, to sell, and 
when you get a thing you do not know what you have got ; 
but all that is in this you can see, and do with ease, and 
save your trees and stock, and m^uch money, and some- 
times much labor. The way and plans are all easy, and 
are laid before one so that any good, industrious man can 
get along with ease for 37 years, with good experience, 
will give much light on the subject of fruit -raising, &c. 

It is natural for trees to grow, and when any thing 
crosses that line, it will have some eflect ; therefore much 
trimming when the branches are large is not good ; and 
trees will not do so well and will not live as long as when 
taken out very small — say six inches long, and the scar is 
such that it will soon heal over and do no harm. All 
trees used in this way will have much larger apples on 



tiian other treatments, and bear sooner and better, &c. 

The frost has done much damage to fruit-raisers, and in 
some places some trees will have fruit on, and trees near 
by will not have any on ; and the cause is seldom found 
out ; but is sometimes owing to a cold damp that is in the 
ground, as well as cold, for cold, dry ground is not so often 
affected, nor even warm, dry ground, for there will some 
heat arise, so that in some cases it will prevent the frost. 
And grafts, in crab-apple stumps the roots run deep in 
the ground, and these do not put out so soon, and that is 
one cause of safety. All roots should run deep in the 
earth ; but when chip, heap manure, or any other kind, 
is near the tree, the roots will stay there, which has a bad 
effect, and is so easily remedied. 

When one wishes to hnve fruit growing in wet, low 
lands, they should set out young cotton woods or syca- 
more, and graft in them, and they seldom, if ever, will 
have any complaints. Young cotton wood is very hardy, 
and one may cut off limbs and place them in the ground, 
like sugar cane, or have one. end a little out, and graft or 
bud in them ; and by so doing one may have hardy or- 
€hards, and a plenty of delicious fruit, which takes the eye 
so, and which there is often so much said about, and which 
sells so well. But after all, the many kinds of fruit one 
may get and pick out a lot of them, and put all together, 
and eat' in the dark, and then he will not be able to tell 
what kind he is eating, let it be grafted or natural fruit. 
So when fairly looked into, the best way is for to do as 
lands will suit for fruit, and be the easiest raised, and most 
perfect, for which the reader hereafter will find out by 
reading, when taking a fair view of the subject. Some 
say different soil for different kinds of fruit. That is all 
a notion, one may see ; for the grafting will not alter the 
stump in the ground, which i§ mostly seedlings. 



FRUIT-RAISING. 



Fruit-Raising has for many years been a matter of 
some interest, and attended with many diseases, and many 
cures have been sought and failed to a great extent, and 
much labor lost, &c. ; and as for my part I have been for 
thirty-five years past trying to cure diseases, and finally 
come to the conclusion that it is better and much easier to 
remedy than to cure. Many set out fruit trees and do no 
more with them, and think that they will grow and do 
well ; but let the same rule work with corn ; plant it and 
not tend it, and let the weeds grow, and how much corn 
will you get per acre ? I think the crop will be smalL 
Just so with the fruit-raising. You must cultivate your 
fruit trees to make them do well and be healthy. The 
tree is full of veins ; the sap flows up the tree, and then 
returns under the bark, and when the tree is bruised any 
way, it will have a bad effect sooner or later. A limb 
should be taken off when the sap is flowing, and then 
seared with some paste, to keep the water and weather 
from the sap, while healing, over, and by so doing you will 
find much benefit will arise. Manuring around th^ butt 
of the tree is a bad thing ; it will cause insects to get m 
the tree, and the roots will keep neer the top of thiS ground 
and not spread from the tree, and is much exposed to in^ 
sects, and is easily blown over by winds, &c. If the 
ground is good and your trees set out right, the roots will 
go deep in the ground, as they should to do well. Many 
put straw around the tree when the ground is in frost, to 
keep in the frost and keep the tree back, so as to keep the 



(9) 

bud from swelling it ; this will do some good, but it will 
bring insects also, bugs and worms, which will do much 
harm to the tree, and therefore you cannot be too careful 
with them. Let us look to the thing right. When you 
cut off a limb it will bleed, and if your finger is cut off you 
know that it is very bad, and why, then, should you think 
for one moment, or have any doubt but that all these 
things will have a bad effect, -and make the tree barren 
and have poor fruit thereon. It is well understood that 
the apple bloom is bitter, and the twig and bark all bitter, 
and when so how can one think to have good fruit on a 
tree that is in a foul state ? If any, it will be knotty or 
poor, &c. Apple trees that have the bitter rot are caused 
from this treatment ; for nine times out of ten the rot be- 
gins before the fruit is ripe, and when in that state how 
can it be but bitter and poor. Keep fruit trees from all 
grass, and grain, and weeds, some distance from the roots 
or butt of the tree. Grain and grass will bring many in- 
sects in ; and orchards and oats sowed near the roots of 
peach trees a few times, will soon kill them. All small 
grain is bad among fruit trees, but oats are the most inju- 
rious. Some will set out fruit trees and not trim at all, 
but that will not do vv^ell, for the tops will soon become 
too large for the roots, and then some of the branches will 
die ; and w^hen so much top, how can it do well and bear 
good fruit? Very often, when in this state, the fruit will 
wilt and drop off for want of sap — the top being too long 
for the roots. A little whitewash will sometimes do good 
to trees, to keep off insects ; but the tree-bug or worm in 
the butt of the tree v/ill do much harm, and often kill the 
tree ; and you may prevent this with a little lime, a small 
ring around the tree, but be careful or you may put on so 
much as too kill the tree. A tree that has pure sand for 
some inches around the butt or trunk of the tree, will 



(10) 

hardly ever have any thing to do much harm about the 
roots ; and when orchards kept in the above state are rightly 
managed, you will not have much plague with insects, for 
you will not have much harbor for them. 

In the fall when the miller comes about, they will do 
much harm, for the miller makes the deposit on the 
branches of trees, and they will stay there until the fol- 
lowing spring, which makes many catapillars, and when 
the leaves fall off in the fall, you may find and destroy 
them with a little labor; and very often in the summer, 
while the sap is flowing, you may see some leaves rolled 
together, and if you examine you will find for the most 
part a living insect, and sometimes very many, so bad as 
to do much harm. Some would say that these may cause 
the blight, or bitter rot, and they may help, and should be 
taken ofi'and destroyed as soon as discovered. The blight 
is a disease that many have suffered much loss from, and 
the causes they cannot tell, and sought many cures, and 
often failed : but, as I have said before, to remedy it is 
the best w^ay ; and if you keep 3=^our trees, as I have said 
before, clear and clean, and suffer no ponds of water to 
stand around them — for too much water will be as bad as 
any thing else. Whenever a tree is not free from all these 
incumbrances, it is subject to some of these diseases. Too 
much wet or too much dry sometimes has a bad effect, 
but when the ground is rolling, very little danger w^ill hap- 
pen ; and when a drought, if the ground is in good order, 
and your trees rightly trimmed, you need not fear. But 
some may say that it is too much work, and I do not think 
proper to do so, and may not get labor or pay for my work. 
But my friend, what kind of pay can you get for half 
labor, and what can a man do that will meet him better 
pay than good fruit, for you should always put the or- 
chards on the most rolling and stony ground that you have 



(11) 

— north hill sides are the best, but never set trees in a ba- 
sin of ground rolling south, for the frost will have much 
more effect than elsewhere ; for all such places have much 
dampness and are cold and liable to frost. A basin that 
lies warm to the south, and the north winds are broken off" 
and kept warm a few hours in the middle Df the day, and 
the frost is still in the ground. All such trees are very- 
subject to thaw on the south, and the following night freeze 
again ; they are very apt to beat the bark from, the tree, 
and all such trees should have a wide plank to shade them 
while the sun shines on them. Many people have said" 
that no fruit like grafted fruit ; but I cannot agree with them 
all around ; for how did the fruit come in the first place ? 
Look at this, if you please. There must have been a va- 
riety of kinds. You may plant the apple core, and when 
the seeds come up, one of them generally grows larger 
than the rest, and is apt to bear the same kind of fruit. — 
Natural fruit is as good to dry, and much better for cideT 
than the grafted fruit ; and the' trees are apt to stand more 
hardships, and are not so likely for the frost to kill the 
iVuit. I never have found any better way to improve fruit 
than to culture well. You may take two trees of one kind, 
and cut and turn all the roots north on one tree, and the 
other one turn south, and it will make something like four 
weeks difference in ripening, and a tree standing on a north 
point will be later in blooming than one on a south point. 
In the year sixteen or seventeen I had some plum trees 
that bore very knotty plums, and I trimmed up the trees 
and loosened some of the old bark, and cleaned all the 
ground off the roots for one foot around, and make a smalls 
box two feet square and four inches deep, and filled it up, 
with pure white sand, and as long as I staid there the plums 
were good after that time. I had one apple tree that had 
a few hard, knotty apples on it, the; ^ame year^ and I gavd 



(12) 

it the same treatment, but added a little. I took and cut 
a ring around all the butts of the limbs near the body of 
the tree one inch broad through the bark, so as to take off 
the old and outside bark, bnt not come to the wood of the 
tree, so as to bruise it ; and then I took and scored a few 
places on the limbs and the main body of the tree, and 
that gave the thing a new start, and the fruit soon became 
good. This treatment to barren trees is very good, and 
will usually bring them to. Many a man understands 
fruit -rai si nn- very well, and says but little about it, for it is 
to his interest to have fruit, while his neighbors have none. 
But some will say that if every one would raise fruit, there 
v/ould be no sale for it. But it is only the farmers who 
wish to raise fruit, and if they have more than they can 
dry and sell, the hogs can make way with it, which will 
'save corn, &c. 

Let us look into the manner of setting out fruit trees, for 
this is the main point, and it should be done with much 
care, and in good order. And now for the moon. Some 
say that they always go in the ground, and the moon has 
nothing to do with any thing planted. Well, what does 
it do ? All will admit that the moon, tide, and course of 
nature work together, and if so, then why will not the 
moon have something to do with the trees, &c. And by 
that means it is believed by many that the sap starts and 
flows the most in the fight of the moon, and by that means 
I o-o in for setting out at that time, and it is as easy to do 
it then as at any other time, and more particularly in 
the spring than in the fall. If trees are set out in the fall 
of the year they will have all winter to stand and get the 
o-round well settled around the roots, and do much better 
than sprmg setting out ; but fall setting out is more apt t© 
bear fruit the first year than the spring of the year. But I 
liave set out trees in the spring and had fruit the same year 



(13) 

of setting out ; but this mode of setting out is to take up 
as soon as the frost is out of the ground, before the bud 
swells much, and be careful to set the tree the same depth 
in the earth that it was before taken up, and mark so as to 
not turn the tree around, for when turned halfway round, 
it is apt to stop the first year's growth, and all backsets 
that a tree gets help to bring on diseases, and every mark 
a tree gets, that mark the sap will cease to flow in, and 
when a tree has many sores on it how can it do well and 
bear good fruit, or have any at all on. For mj part, in 
traveling through many States, I have made many discov- 
eries, and have often wondered that there was any fruit on 
trees that v/ere in such a foul state, and at the same time 
m.any were wondering that they did not have more fruit. 
Many there are who w^ill cut small saplings when the sap 
flow^s high in them, and prop fruit limbs up with them, 
and the worm very often gets in the fruit tree in so doing, 
v/hich is very easily prevented. No dea,d stick nor cross- 
ing limbs should be suffered long to remain about fruit 
trees. The frost for many years has been a great harm, 
and always kills more or less fruit, and ha*s caused many 
to give up raising and cuituring fruit ; and that can for the 
most of times be remedied in setting out, for when you 
come to set out your treesj prepare some, small flat stones 
-— som.e call them flat rocks— place your tree as it should 
set, and tmrn the large roots north, and after putting some 
earth over the roots, then lay on your rocks so as to be at 
or near the top of the ground, and have them so laid as 
not to bind the main body of the tree ; leave them a small 
distance apart, and fill up wdth some gravel or coarse sand. 
This mode of ^doing will keep the ground in good order 
much better and longer than any other way, and will keep 
the frost in the ground in the wintertime so as to keep the 
bud from swelling ; and by so doing you will prevent the 



(14) 

frost from killing some of the branches, as well as the 
fruit. Many changes in the winter weather are what kills 
so much fruit, and some of the trees, also; and when the 
spring comes, all trees that have been set out this w^ay 
will hardly ever put out in bud or bloom until the hard 
frosts are so far gone by, that bi:t little injury is done in 
killing fruit. Trees set out in the fa?ll in this way always 
wall bear fruit every year. I have in some seasons in the 
month of May seen some cold nights that I thought would 
bring frost after the bloom was out, and then about sun- 
down I would make some few smokes about in the orchard, 
and that will save the fruit from being killed by frost. 
When these rules are carried out, I will warrant the or- 
chards to bear good fruit. Be careful in making smokes, 
for you may make them too large, so as to heat the tree, 
and that w^ould do more harm than the frost. A few small 
Jires will chansfe the air and have much more effect than 
any one would think who had never tried the experiment. 
The frost is more apt to kill fruit on sandy lands than on 
limestone lands, or even on heavy loom soil, and that is a 
thing that many have not looked into. I have in my time 
:>een the bushes in low, sandy basins, that have been en- 
tirely killed by frost, and a small distance off all around, 
where land was more elevated, the frost had not killed any 
thing whatever. Why all such places are so affected I 
shall not undertake to tell for the present, but shall leave 
the public to put their opinions on it, for I think that they 
may see into it very easily; but I will say that trees ought 
not to be put out in such places, for they are more subject 
to take tlie blight and die, than in any other place that can 
1)6 found where the ground is dry. Where trees are near 
salt water they ver}^ seldom do well, and salt pickle poured 
around fruit trees is very injurious, and pickle pourod around 
at certain times will kill trees very soon. Old diseased 



(15) 

trees should be cut down, for they do but little good. 
Some say that the bees will carry diseases from one tree 
to another, while the tree is in bloom ; and others say 
that the scent of one tree to the other will cause all to get 
the same complaint ; but I do not agree with them, for it 
is more in cultivating than any thing else. I have set out 
trees in the way I have been recommending, and no one 
could discover my plan. They always did well. 

Apple trees and peach trees that have been set out for 
some time can be saved from frost by cleaning off the grass, 
and then put on a. little lime, as before stated, and if there 
are no insects around the trees a little pure sand will do 
for a time ; and then he may pile some small rocks or hard 
brickbats, or some coarse gravel, and by so doing you may 
keep the frost in the ground, as I have said before ; and 
the earth will keep in a good moist state for fruit-raising 
for some time. But for much benefit, one should look to 
his trees often, and not let any thing go undone, and when 
one commences right, a little will keep the ball moving. 
Fruit trees that have stone some distance around them 
will not want any tending, for the ground will keep moist, 
if the weather is not extremely dry. Good thrifty-looking 
apple trees sometimes do not bear much fruit, and many 
cannot tell the cause. Sometimes the tops run up very 
straight, and they should be trimmed often when growing, 
so as to keep the branches in proper form of apple trees ; 
and sometimes they want the girdling, as I have said be- 
fore. Pear trees are much more healthy, and will stand 
more hardships than the apple tree, and do better to graft 
into than many other trees ; and apples grafted into pear 
stumps are very good, and are more hardy than others in 
most of the lands. Pear trees trimmed like apple trees, 
i.e. often trimming, are more apt to bear sooner and bet- 
ter than to let them run up straight, as they mostly da. 



(16) 

If one wishes to have pears soon, they should take grafts 
from bearing trees, and graft in as soon aa they are long 
enough to do so, and by so doing they would have pears in 
much less time than to graft very young, like apple trees 
are mostly done. Peach trees and cherry trees are v6ry 
often set out in fence rows, and look more like fence hedges 
than like fruit trees. Still, the owners think and wish to 
have good fruit, and fail very often, when a little trimming 
and the tree put in order, as I have said, then the tree would 
be productive. Apple, peach, pear, and cherry trees 
should be all treated much alike, to do well. A quince 
tree will do the best in wet or level lands, as it is often 
raised, and is more hardy than some other trees. I have 
seen them set out in dry lands, and they did not often do 
well in such places. In the West they are very scarce, 
and would do well if set out. They are much better for 
preserves than plums. 

Some few apple trees have been brought to bear apples 
that have no seeds in, but the plan will not do where a 
man wants apple seeds to plant out nurseries with, and 
when a man has planted out a large nursery, and has many 
young trees coming on, and all seedlings, then he will have 
many kinds of fruit, and late and early. I have seen as 
good fruit in this way as from grafted trees, and then I 
have seen grafted fruit much larger and better than the 
fruit was where the grafts were taken from. One may 
trim and graft, and make fruit still earlier or later, but the 
best mode is to culture well. The blight very often comes 
on in a way that many would not think of, for which I 
shall not say how at this time, and if the rules are carried 
out that is already laid down, they will not have any diffi- 
culty in getting along. The fruit is killed sometimes in 
the fall, 'for after the sap goes down, and a small frost, 
then comes a warm spell and swells the bud that should 



(17) 

stand for the next spring ; and peach trees are more injuri- 
ous than others in this way. When trees have a plenty of 
rocks about the roots they will keep them back, for cold 
weather, and it is not the cold weather so much as the 
warm changes that causes so much damage to the fruit- 
raiser. One may have too many rocks about his trees, 
but for the most they do not have enough. Stony land 
is the best for fruit-raising, especially for peaches. Where 
there are two or three rocks, one above another, the heat 
will not strike through soon, and they will keep cold for a 
longtime. 

A man may construct a tree in such a way as to have 
one part in bloom and the other part not put forth but little. 
I carried a pear tree from New Jersey to Clermont Coun- 
ty, Ohio, in the year 1832, and moved it twice after, the 
same year, and it still lived, and if the tree is moved in the 
way I have said, you need not fear. The heat of the sun 
is what causes the tree to come forth soon, when it shines 
on or near the roots. Shade the roots and keep the sun 
off, and you will soon see what the effect is. Some men 
may in some cases disagree with me, especially those 
whose interest this work may be opposed to, but the thing 
will prove itself, only give it a chance. 

Note. If the Agricultural Society will give me what 
they have said they would give some one, concerning the 
blight and bitter rot, I will carry out the many complaints 
in its branches, and give full view and satisfaction ; for a 
tree never need to take the blight if rightly managed. If 
the rules here laid down are carried out, they will get along. 

The best way to trim is, never suffer a branch to reach 
any size, that should not remain on; and then all will be 
healed over in a short time. The twig should be taken 
off when a little sprout. I have seen apples bitter when 
nearly ripe, and sound ; but it was from poor management 

2* 



(18) 

ofculturing; but if girdled they will soon get well, and a 
little lime about the roots, tobacco stems, or juice, will 
soon kill all worms about the roots ; or saltrx'tre, in small 
quantities; raising tobacco in the o cha^ds is gocd. One 
may read mudi about fruit, but he will have to [ ut the 
hands to, if he finds out, and watches closely, nnd tries 
what can le done, for the point is in the hai.ds, ai.d much 
depends in trying. 

Grafting f;u!t is a subject that many believe i;^, and it is 
a good way to change fruits, and get any kind one would 
wish. Therefore many vrays have been tried for that pur- 
pose, and it is thought best ly the most of gralters to use 
paste made of rosin, beeswax and tallow ; equal parts of 
rosin and beeswax^ one-fif.h tallow. Some say only rosin 
and tallow, and one-third of that tallow; to be used ^^hen 
the graft is set, so that the laik comes even with the main 
part it is set in ; then your paste, being a 1 tt!e warm, 
serves all the open places, so that no sap can leak, and 
no weather get thereabouts. By so doing you will have 
no trouble, as is sometimes the case, from earth g-afting 
by ants, &c. Grafts should be but one year's gro\v;h, and 
not very long. 

Peach stones should be put out in the w'nter, and cov- 
ered over with three inches of earth, so as to get one good 
freeze, and in this way they will comie up in the spring. 
Nice apple seeds put in one pint bags, or less, and laid 
where the mice or rats cannot get at them, and so that 
they will keep a little moist, and covered the same as the 
peach ; and one clever or good freeze will do them. Be 
carelul and not let them mould, or they will rot. As soon 
as the grass begins to start, then the seeds will sprout or 
swell. They should be put where you want them to grow. 
When I was a small boy, nearly fifty years ago, we had 
many ^ood apples and peaches, but when I became older 



(19) 

and saw much grafting, and no culturing, and soon there 
came on the many plagues with fruit trees, and then I had 
an anxiety to find out what the cause was, and I sought 
minv remedies, and found out that the natural fruit trees 
would bear more often with the same treatment than the 
grafted fruit trees wouM. and when I took it into market 
it would sell as qui (.4 as any, and taste as good, keep bet- 
ter, and look as well. The trees lived longer, and were 
much hardier, and it was less trouble toput upthe orchard. 
Bat the many ideas ailoat in the world, and many do not 
look to any th:ng only what is told them, and think noth- 
ing is like grafted fruit. Bat as for the best, try some few 
seedlings, and it will be no harm. When the rules here 
laid down are carried out, I will v/arrant them to have 
fruit eveAj year, as long as the trees are kept good. 

Old trees that have been on the decay for some time 
can be helped in the way I have said ; but they cannot 
last long at most, for the many dead spots in th?m, the sap 
will not fiow in, and how can they do much good ? The 
thing, when rightly understood, will show for itself, and 
who can say to the contrary. Lime or whitewash, once 
a year, should be done, but when trees are thrifty, once in 
two years will do. The whitewash is very good to keep 
insects off. As soon as one sees the sap running, and glue 
forming on fruit trees, they should look and take out the 
insect, and rub a little paste thereon. In such cases a little 
whitewash will keep them off; but a liniment made of 
whisky, sulphur, red pepper, and camphor, will make small 
insects leave, and is good for bedbugs, 

BLOODY MURRAIN. 

Many farmers in the West, and many other places have 
lost cattle with the murrain, and the fault is in the owner, 
for if he would keep a trough with some slackened lime and 



(20) 

salt in it, so that the cattle could get it as they want it, 
there would be no murrain. But when they have got the 
complaint, get poke, or pote tops, some may call the weed, 
and make a strong tea, and give from one pint to a quart, 
and one gill of spirits of turpentine ; and rub and stir them 
a little, and it will soon be over. When you cannot get 
that, give one pint of hog's lard ; sometimes bleed heavy, 
and that will do, for bleeding is very good. Cattle kept 
in this way will hardly ever get the poison-milk complaint, 
as above stated. 

POLL EVIL OE FISTULA. 

When a horse has this complaint coming on, and as 
soon as one finds out the complaint, poke-juice and oil of 
spike, and bathe often, and it will soon die. Use one 
thing at a time, but when the hard gristle has formed, and 
and is near breaking, then treat as follows : Put half an 
ounce of aqua fortis in a two ounce vial, then put in quick- 
silver the size of two large peas, leave the stopple out until 
it is done boiling ; then put in blue vitriol about twice as 
much as quicksilver, and then use with a quill and work in 
the hole, or wet a lint and lay there in the centre, and you 
will soon kill, so that you can take it out by the roots, and 
then use a little oil of spike, and it will soon get well and 
leave but few scars to be seen. When you doctor this 
way, keep your horse in from cold rains, and no danger. 
When this composition is put on flesh, and it smokes, 
dilute it. The same method will kill the most of cancers, 
warts and corns, with a little sweet oil, ointing after the 
above. Corns can be cured by often ointing with spirits 
of turpentine. Warts may be cured with young poke juice 
made near to a salve, or burn paper on a blacksmith's 
anvil, and bathe with the sweat that will be on the anvil, 
and a few times ointing will cure. 



(21) 

MOLE-TRAP. 

How to kill gophers and moles in the ground. Take a 
thick plank— say two inches thick, and ten inches broad, 
and three feet long — and then one foot from one end lay- 
off fifteen or twenty holes, and put in some iron teeth in 
the form of a hemp hackel, about one foot long— shorter 
ones will do for moles — and then make three sticks to set 
it with ; make the standard with an offset wide at bottom, 
and cut the notch on the long stick on the lower side, that 
when the mole raises the stick the flyer will throw the 
long stick from under the trap. In setting, dig open the 
hole and place the end of the long stick so that when he 
comes along he will raise the stick, and then away goes 
all. When the trap has been carefully set, there should 
be some earth put back in the hole, so that all will be dark 
and right, and in so doing you will soon kill them off. 

SORE EYES. 

I had the sore eyes a long time, and spent some money 
in buying eye-water, and found out that the most of such 
trash v/as more to sell than to cure ; and by chance I tried 
the use of giauber salts, and found them very good ; hop 
tea is still better for some; when used hot it will kill the 
humor. Sometimes a pain in the head will cause the sore 
eyes ; and in that case I would take broken doses of salts ; 
and in so doina: I would always be relieved in a little time. 
Sometimes often washing with pure cold water will do 
much good. 

HOG'S SORE THROAT. 

Hogs often get the sore throat, and sometimes it is 
caused by their eating acorns after the acorn has sprouted, 
and the farmers often lose hogs through neglect. If the 



(22) 

farmer would always give his hogs plenty ©f soap suds and 
swill, they never would get the sore throat ; or even plenty 
of salt would do much good. When the hogs have the 
complaint, one should drench with some strong suds, and 
wash and rub the outside of ihe throat well, and sometimes 
this will cure. 

HORSE FOUNDER. 

When a horse has drank too much water when hot, and 
one can see that he is inclined to lie down and is taking 
the founder, move him about middling la t for ten or fiiteen 
minutes, and he will go to eating, and soon be well with- 
out any more trouble. For grain iounder, use the same 
means, if in time, and if not, my mode is to bleed in the 
legs freely, and then put a half a spoonful of turpentine ir* 
the frog of each foot, have it some warm ; and then turn 
your hoise on grass, and he will soon be well. Cows> 
when full of grass, sometimes drink too muth water. 
Move them about in the same way, until some operation, 

BOTS IN HORSES. 

There are many ways to cure a horse that has th» bots. 
Many give too many things, and kill the horse with med- 
icine, and then say this, that and the other would have 
done or not done ; but I have given a half pint of spirits of 
turpentine and then moved about and all is over in a little 
while. Sometimes a horse has the dry colic, and then a 
half gallon of weak lye will cure the horse ; but strong 
lye may kill th^ horse, so in all cases much care is want= 
ing. If horses always get plenty of salt and hickory ashes 
or slacked lime, one hardly ever will have to doctor for 
this complaint. 



(23) 

HOW TO CURE THE KIDNEY WORM. 

Hogs sometimes have the kidney worm, and die with it. 
The comp'aint can be cured by giving a small dose of 
arsenick, and bathing a few times with spirits of turpen- 
tine across the loins, along the back bone, and he will 
soon be well. A smrill dose of sulphur and saltpetre will 
do mo. h good, for it is very good for the kidnf^ys. 

HOW TO CURE WARTS AND WENS ON CATTLE 

When cattle have warts or wens on them, take and tie 
Bome hiir close down to the body, or near the roots, draw 
tight, so as to prevent the blo-'^d from liowing in, and it 
will soon fall off. The wen, when young, served the same 
way will soon die, so thit one may open and roll out the 
dead lump. When so large th'^t th's ru'e can not work, 
then use the poll evil {^reparation in much the same way 
as for poll evil. 

LICE ON CATTLE AND HOGS. 

When cattle have lice on them, put some soft grease 
around heir eyes and nose, and then boil up some tobacco 
and mix in some lye, but not so strong as to take off the 
hair, and n.b on along the back and where the lice are, 
and they will soon be gone. 

SCRATCHES ON HORSES. 

When a horse has thf* greeseags scratches, take some 
blue vitriol dissolved in water and apply, and let it stay 
on for SIX hours, and then wa^h with soap suds, and keep 
clean, and in a bttie while it will be well. If inclined to 
crack, apply a little Oil of spike. 



(24) 

SNAKE BITES. 

For snake bites, as soon as one is bit, drink one pint of 
whiskey — which is an Indian cure — and use a poultice of 
bitter weeds and tar and corn meal, put on the bitten place, 
change often. The names of weeds — tanzy, wormwood, 
horse weed and catnip. 

When bayberry root bark can be had — black elder bark 
is good ; up sumack is good, but either will do, when poi- 
soning is bad and swelled, boil said bark, weeds, &c., in 
vinegar and salt, and have all middling strong, bathe with 
as hot as you can bear it, and it will soon have a good 
effect. When the poultice is put on last, with the tar in, 
and thickened with corn meal, do not let the meal get 
cooked done. A few applications of this will cure any 
kind of poisoning, or bad felons, &c. I have seen these 
cures many years ago by a good old Indian doctor. 

Again, take house yard plantain leaves, pound them up 
and mix the juice with new milk ; use freely in drink and 
on the bite — a good cure for snake bites. 

Again, a bottle of whiskey, with the stopple out, turned 
upwards, the most on the bite, the poison will go up in 
the whiskey. 

RAT KILLING. 

There are many ways to kill rats. Mix equal parts of 
corn meal and unslacked lime, and lay where it will keep 
dry, so that they can eat, and little water near, and the 
lime slacking in them will kill them. Spanish fly essence 
in diluted brandj^, is very good for drink in the place of 
water, and is a fatal destroyer with rats. 

Again, take dog butten and grate fine, and mix with a 
little flour and molases, and give it, it is very good. Do 
not put grease in it ; it will kill poisoning sometimes. 



(26) 

TO STOP A HOESE FEOM BLEEDING. 

When a horse has been bled in the mouth, and is hard 
to stop from bleeding — and some bleed to death — take a 
bunch or string of horse hair and tie it around the tail close 
to his body, and twist tight with a stick, and the blood 
will soon stop. This is what is called cording the tail of 
a horse. 

TO KILL INSECTS ON TREES. 

When insects are very bad on peach or apple trees, take 
a center bit — three quarters of an inch bit — and commence 
a hole, and cut around, so as to save the bark piece to put 
back again ; then bore in a little more than half way 
through the tree on the side most affected, near the butt, 
and fill the hole with pulverized sulphur, and then drive in 
a plug tight, so as not to let the sap leak, even wdth the 
wood, so that the bark chip wall come even, so that all will 
be smooth by rubbing on a little paste. This treatment 
w^iil make old trees healthier, and is good for the bitter 
rot, &c. 

PRESERVING BUDS AND GRAFTS. 

Putting buds and grafts up in moist saw dust has proved 
superior to any other way ; it being lighter than sand, and 
has no grit in it to rub or injure a knife. Grafts cut in 
February and put up in this way will keep a long while ; 
but they must be kept from frost or heat, and water, or 
water-soaking will be the result, and mould or rot. A 
good dry cellar is the best place — north side. Dust right 
from the saw is best, from half-seasoned logs. 

Sweet potatoes will keep best in right dry saw dust, and 
from frost and wet ; keep them and you will have no 
trouble. 



( 2^ ) 

Many people cut off the tops of old fruit trees wheit 
they have decayed, and graft in anew, but nine times out 
of tew the roots near the butt of the tree are affected, and 
when that is the case, it is no use to gafr, for they will be 
small. Some trimming may help. Tha best way is to 
clear away some ea th, and take a ket'le of hot water and 
a little sulphir- in it and pour around the Lutt of the tree; 
and it is for th » m->st part better thin ploa^hing the tree. 
Peach trees treated this way will do well for some length 
of ti.mo. A 1 (t!e sulphur is good to g've fruit a good 
relish. App^v as I have said, or one can open the bark 
on the Inrgo limbs, aid put sulphur in, a littie like bud- 
ding, a .d c'ose up again in gord order; and in th's way 
of doing one can make fruit sweet or sour, and make roses 
blu'^ with a I'ttle indigo, and have ranny colors on one 
bush, by diflerent stains. Some individuals put salt in 
trees, 1 ut salt should never be put near fruit trees, and too 
mu. h lime or lol acco will also spoil the taste of fruit, 
wh^n too mu. h about a tree ai;d near ihe roots. Sonne 
kill th ir fruit by doctoring wrong. A very good way to 
get rid cf i a^np'llars is to get rolled brimstone ar^d make 
a few mat hes, and smoke them like taknfr bres, and a 
treatment in this way will soon do away the webs, and 
they seldom return. The matches should be held oft' be- 
low, so as not to singe the leaxes. When the sulphur 
pulverized is spnnkled on the web trie dfws will soon give 
them a taste. Sometimes pear trees have pears on and 
they rot in ih-^ core, and in such a case pour the hot water 
and sulphur, as a.ound the peach tree. The rot is some- 
times can ed hy being too much choked up with other 
trees a.sd b u-h ; and very often the roots run near the top 
of the g;vnu: d, and many sprouts come up and are sculped 
off so as to do much harm. In this case the best way 
would be to cut the root off'close to ihatree buU, and cover 



(27) 

it over with psste, and the lower roots will increase and 
run deep, if rightly managed, as all roots should run to do 
well. Apple trees, to do well, should be forty feet from 
one to another; and pear trees also. Peach trees should 
be at least twenty feet— thirty is letter. When fruit trees 
are set out close under a steep hill, on a small table of 
land, th? water often comes in floods, and stands for some 
time around the trees, which is very injurious, and in such 
cases some mode should be adopted to turn off the water 
as it falls ; or the loss of trees may often occur, and tree* 
often take the blight when sufTered to remain in water in 
hot weather. Too n;u h water and many olher thinff* 
will affect the sap in fruit trees, and do much harm, espe- 
cially in June, about the time the days are the longest, and 
the sap begins to decrease, and the length of diysalso, and 
about the time that the days are at full length, and the 
moon fulls at the same time, then is the best time in the 
year to kill g owing trees. 1 have seen cold, east winda 
and storms at such times kill many young, thrifty trees,, 
and in such cases a small scar often will kill a tree Al^ 
trimming sap sprouts, and all catapillars and web worms, 
should be removed some time before the alove stated time^ 
to do well. 

The best and ri"ht time for trim mi nor fruit trees is the 
first new moon in June. The wind' oiten blows young 
trees about, wh?re they stand in heavy soil, in times of 
much rain, and the ground being soft, the tree will wave 
around so as to make a la-ge hole in the ground, and then 
the water gets in around the tree and stat.ds there, and very 
often kills the tree. Water standing about trees the second 
year a ter setting out is more likely to kill the tree than at 
any othsr season. The hotter the weather is, the more 
danger of losing by water. Early in the spring, after th^e- 
ground dries off, large cracks form along the large roots^^ of 



(28) 

the tree, which leave a place for the water to stand in 
when heavy rains come, which sometimes will do harm, 
and they should be attended to and the evil remedied. 
Many people say, , as daddy has done, so will I do; and 
will have their way, right or wrong. They w^ll heat up 
the fruit trees with manure, and forward them to meet 
frost, and the man)^ insects, and by so doing often lose the 
the fruit, and finally the trees, also. Although the 
manure made them grow so finely for a while, but they 
do not consider that the manure keeps the roots near the 
top of the ground. A fruit tree usually has one large root, 
and that is the regulator of the tree, and if that is near the 
top of the ground the tree is worth but little. Heaping up 
much earth around a tree is not good, for the tree will not 
do well. 

I have often seen manure in large piles around fruit 
trees, six inches to one foot deep, and that will keep the 
ground from freezing all winter around the tree, and in 
such cases in warm spells in winter the buds will sw^ell, 
and then in freezing again the buds will be killed, whereas 
if the manure had been kept awa}^, and there had been 
plenty of stones on top of the roots to have kept them cold, 
the Lud would not have swollen, and then the fruit might 
have been saved, and it would have been much better for 
the trees. Sometimes fruit trees grow too fast to have 
much fruit on, and in such cases the center high branches 
must be topped to bear well. The topping should be done 
when the last sap flows in the latter part of summer, so 
that the bud will form for the following year. Fruit trees 
sometimes have hard knots about on the limbs, and are 
scurvy, and that is often caused by insects, and no care is 
taken to keep them thrifty. Such trees are hard to cure 
and make good, but they can be helped by some trimming, 
and cleaning the roots; whitewash the tree and sulphur 



(29) 

plugging in the main trunk inside, and scald the roots as 
in other cases, for this is the best for old trees ; and in the 
case of the bitter rot in old trees, shave off some of the 
old outside bark, and give the tree a new start. When 
fruit trees are very full of fruit, and sap sprouts are running 
up, and the weather is very dry, many buds will fail to 
to form for the following year. People often destroy the 
buds in gathering fruit, where plum trees have charcoal 
dust and sand in boxes around them, or hogs running abont 
them., the insects seldom do much harm. Apple and 
peach trees, to do well, should be planted one hundred feet 
apart, and then one could farm the ground and receive some 
benefit from it and fruit also. When trees are a good dis- 
tance apart they will dry off soon, and there will not be 
so much wet about them to freeze, and be in danger of 
killing the buds. When the ground is not frozen and cov- 
ered with snow, the buds often will swell and get killed, 
but the stones w^ill keep them back and preserve them. 
Where hogs are running among fruit trees, care should be 
taken and not let them root much about the roots of trees, 
or they may cause some damage to the trees. When the 
snow is on the ground, and the ground is not frozen, the 
snow will keep the ground warm and cause things to grow 
under the snow, while the tops are getting killed by frost. 
Some large fruit trees would need a wagon load of stones 
around each one, to do well. One reason why natural 
fruit will stand more hardships is, the bud is harder and 
smaller than the bud of grafted fruit. Some people have 
got a kind of composition to put around trees, to keep the 
insects off, and if they are not careful they may kill the 
tree, for some minerals and acids will do so. 

One can turn the color of fruit or wood, while in the 
sap, or make the wood hard with acid ; and make it black. 
Tan bark is a non-conductor of heat, and if put around 



(30) 

fruit trees when the frost is in the ground, it will kt?ep the 
tree back and prevent the i.ud from swelling. Tlie sap 
will flow every new moon in I he yea", if the weatht.T is a 
little warm at nevv' moon, at.d then the bud w.Jl swell. 
Water early in the spring, ai.d cold weather around fruit 
trees, do not often kill the trees, but after the middle of 
June ihen is the damage. Matiy peop'e think that the 
frost kilied the peach t ees last winter in the sontlicrn part 
of Ohio, but it is mostly on account of the dry weather 
last falj^ for ihe insects worked about the roots and caused 
them to bleed, and the weather was so dry that the sap 
failed to go up in one new rnoon, in many trees. In this 
case many trees put out in the spring following, and live 
a m.onth or so, and die ; aiA these things are not often 
looked into by the most of larmers. Ths vear, ]852, 
the moon will be full in June the 2nd, ai:d change. In 
this case the fruit trees will not Le so much nffect(d, and 
the ruht on grain will be small, and do but litt'e d";mage. 
Some people are for trimming trees in the fall of the year, 
and the places from trimming will season had and seldom 
rot as th y do when trimmed in June, when the scars are 
left open to the wet weather. But all should be prevented 
from (o'd and wet, for all will be more or less injurious 
to fiuit trees where the scars are left open to the weather. 

THE BLIGHT IN FRUIT TREES. 

Many people say the blight is caused by hard rains, but 
if the fruit trees stand on rolling land^, heavy rains wil} 
not hurt them, so 1 hirdly call it the b ight ; but if they 
i^tand on flat land, and the water stands in ponds around 
the trees, then the water often overpowers the sap and 
sometimes kills the tree. The blight is caused from many 
ft;ources, but in most cases it is caused for the want of sap 
to bear out the growth. In June, when the moon is aew 



(31) 

and the g-ound well moistened, then there will be a fiiU 
rush of young shoots on fruit trees, &c. ; and after the 
moon fulls and ihe sap is on the decrease, then tlie ground 
is often getting d-y, and the trees slandijig \ery ihick, and 
much grain or weeds around them, and sometimes some 
manu-e to help heat the tree hot, then the blight comes 
on, for (he tree cannot get moisture enough to continue 
growing arid has to fall bat k. The fruit tree is like the corn, 
and when there are twelve stalks in one hill there may 
be some shoots for corn, but when it comes to fill out, if 
d-'Y, (he corn will Le small, and so will] the fruit trees, 
when too th'ck and cankered with grain and grass the tree 
cannot support its brarfches, and ihey will dry i'or want of 
sap; hut when trees stand far enough dpmt and are kept 
in good order, then the roots run well in th^ earth, and 
will he able to continue moist and bear out the necessary 
branches. Sometimes trees are far enough apart to do 
well, bet they have too much top for the roots, and when 
f, rush of sap comes then many young sprouts put Ibrth 
again, and when the days come to full length ar.d the moon 
is full, and at that time the sap begins to cease flowing, 
and at that t'me if a cold, dry speil ccmes on, then the sap 
will cease to How in all the branches, and then comes the 
blight. But if the tree had been rightly t imme d and there 
had not been too much top for the rocts, and (he ground 
had been in a moist state, then the blight wcuM not have 
taken eiiect. Open trimming always does well in fruit 
raisin <j. 

There is always a good time in the year to kill timber, 
and that is after the days are at full length and after th& 
full moon, and if the ground is haid and dry you can soon 
kill trees or cause the blight. Some men often trim and 
prune at that time and do much harm to the trees. Cut- 
ting off limbs and leaving them to take the rain, sun, and 



(32) 

frost, they will make a black speck into the heart of the 
tree and cause much damage very often ; but if taken off 
in the spring with a saw, and a little paste put on, then 
the sap will come up, and they will heal over and do well. 
Some say the blight is from some cause in the heat. It 
may be in some degree. Thus far, as I have said, when 
there is too much top to the tree, too much dry, too much 
verj^ hot sun will wilt the young shoots, and the sap will 
cease to flow in them, and they must perish ; and they 
could be very easily remedied if taken when young. The 
leaves are the lungs, no plant can grow if it cannot breathe 
and if it is prevented from breathing it must soon die. 
Some persons dig many feet into the soil to eradicate rots 
— a much easier way is to keep the tops buried by repeated 
ploughing, or by a thick coat of tan or saw dust. Alders 
and willows may be very easily killed without grubbing by 
merely keeping them closely cut to the surface and pulling 
off the sprouts as they appear. Cut them off in the spring 
or early summer, burn the branch upon the stubs and then 
remove the sprouts during the season, and the work is 
complete. A few things only need any killing in the hor- 
ticulturist, and very often more harm is done than good. 
Fruit trees aie often injured by hilling up much earth or 
some other substance that will contain heat and cause in- 
sects. 

TO MAKE CATTLE DO WELL. 

Cattle to do well in all the West and where they get no 
salt hay, should always have some slacked lime and salt 
as often as they will eat it ; and in so doing they seldom 
ever take the poison milk complaint. In the winter time 
they are often neglected, and green grass is scarce, and 
then cattle will browse on many poison weeds and vines, 
and drinking mineral water, and no salt in the system. 



( 33 ) 

then the poison will take effect, when the two come to- 
gether. Some springs in the West are poison, so as t6 
kill cattle in a little while. Whenever water has a bad 
taste or a milky color, one may test the amount of poison 
by a proper process ol' analyzing, and thus avoid all acci- 
dents. Many springs and wells can be made healthy by 
cleanng oi'ten and putting charcoal or a little lime in the 
well or spring. When cha/coal and lime are so arrano-ed 
as to let th^ water seep ih/ougb, or stand in said coal of 
i.me, it will be rectilied, and a very small portion of lime 
will do. One may use too nmih lime in water. Cattle 
often drink water that stands in small, stagnated places, 
which is very bad water, and will be the means of causino- 
sickness by using the milk from cows that drink such wa- 
ter. Cattie sometimes take the red water, and some men 
would say it was the murrain. Whenever cattle appear 
uixwell by neglect, a dose of salt and sulphur sometimes 
will do much g^od. Miik sickness is sometimes caused 
by a kind of gas a..d mineral that are in some lands, while 
the daw is on the grass, shrubs, &c. The cattle eating 
feed at that time wn.:e the dew is on, will cause the com- 
plaint to take effect, while, if the cattle were kept up until 
the dew is all gone off, the complaint would seldom come, 
or have a bad effect When the milk disease comes on 
it will create a hot, Lurnlng fever, and all the pores are 
closed, and the blood will become dross and clod and the 
rest w.ll settle inside; of tli3 system in red water, &c. New 
milk and house yard plantain leaves ; take the juice of 
plantain leaves and drink freely ; and a little saltpeter once 
in a while, to open the pores and cause sweat or moisture 
on th3 system; and by so doing the complaint can be 
cured in most cases. The juice of the plantain should be 
mixed with the milk. Some persons say that saltpeter is 
dangerous. It may be, if one should take too much. A 

3* 



(34) 

man may take a piece the size of a large grain of com. A 
horse may take even a spoonful, and nothing is better to 
start the urine, and it is good to cause a sweat and check 
the fever. What will cause the complaint sometimes will 
fail at other times, for it is altogether owing to what state 
the system is in, and the poisoning substance. One is 
much stronger sometimes than at others, especially min- 
eral substances. When the springs are low they are much 
stronger, especially in freezing weather. The frost will 
have some effect to separate the poisoning substance from 
the pure water — it freezing and drying up. Take pieces 
of bright steel and lay them in the water, where it is bad, 
and if it is poisoning, the rust will be green or some color 
different from common iron. 

Cherry tree tops will sometimes kill cattle when tl^ey 
eat much of them. There is a kind of mushroom which 
will sometimes kill cattle when they eat it, and have not 
been salted well and have been drinking impure water. 
Cattle will fatten on small portions of the poisonous sub- 
stances, and b}^ mixing them with other feed the poison 
will work off, but when they are in that state drive them, 
and heat them, and the disease will come to perfection 
very often, especially when caused by drinking impure wa- 
ter. The trembles, or milk disease is a complaint that is 
caused or comes on where the lands have blue limestone 
on them, and where there are mineral substances ; where 
there are small portions of water, the minerals are of the 
nature to cause the action of the system to stop, and cause 
a heat on the stomach, similar to the sick wheat bread 
that people often feel. The different kinds of substances 
that cause the disease are not very poisonous, but enough 
to cause all action in the system to cease, and this is act- 
ing for some time before it is discovered ; but when chang- 
ed into the milk and butter, it is with more action, in par. 



(33) 

taking of the animal nature — some may call it so — where 
the disease rages. When the lands are tilled and cleared 
up the mineral substances and the most of other substances 
are destroyed, so that they often have no effect. What is 
in the earth, it being tilled, that substance will lose its 
strength, where it is near the top of the ground, and be- 
come dead ; and where the water is mixed with other sub- 
stances it will sometimes become more pure. The butter 
and milk can be detected by causing a heat and sweat on 
a piece of bright steel or iron, so as to make a green rust, 
&c. To cure a person, give a plenty of good whiskey or , 
brandy, with a little saltpetre,^ to cause a reaction and 
sweat, and then use some sulphur and spirits of turpentine, 
and then there will be some chance to operate on the 
bowels for a speedy cure. Doctor cattle in like manner. 
This complaint is usually attended with much fever, and 
the bowels become very dry, and are hard to operate on^ 
and in such cases a little yeast is very good to be given for 
SI purgative. I have never known a case of milk sickness 
where there is soft water and sandy land, or white lime- 
stone lands ; but where there is blue limestone and hard, 
blue clay, then you may often find milk sickness. Where 
the water has a bad taste, sometimes there is a kind of 
sulphuric or hydrogen air in vallies and certain pieces of 
land, as above stated ; and when one takes that kind of air 
into his lungs, it sometimes has a bad effect. A person 
may take some poison into the stomach, and the effect 
may not be discovered, but in breathing similar poisons 
into the lungs it may kill ; say, for instance, how is it in 
wells ? Sometimes in cleaning out deep wells some peo- 
ple are killed by what is called damps in wells. People 
often differ in regard to healthy air. One thing ia certain. 
Take and make a fire of charcoal in a small room where 
there is no fireplace, and the room is kept tight, and it 



( 36 ) 

will consume all the oxygen and death may occur, as the 
case has often occurnd. Lime is thought to be very 
healthy when slacked, but in s'a^king lime one cculd 
cook eggs over the steam and heat and it' they thruld eat 
them death might be ttie result. In much water tliat is 
heated in a tea kettle it scon forms a thick dieli in the 
kettle, which all such water is \ery unhealthy to most of 
people. 

And as for milk s'ckness, I always have frund to exist 
on such locations as above stated ai.d as the ibllowing 
statements are. The w^ater from JVLDoLaid far.n, Mt. 
Oram, Brown Co., Ohio, has been analyzed by some of 
tha best chemists in CincinLati, O., ai.d the qualities are 
as follows : 

MOUNT OORAM UPPER WELLS. 

This, like the water of llie Wh te Sulphur Springs of 
Virginia, is highly impregnated w^ith sul|.;hurettcd hydro- 
gen in combination with oxy(7,enized nitrogen — with traces 
of the following salts, in su h small quantities however, 
as to be wholly imperceptible to ihe taste, and only appa- 
rent by analysis with ihe most delicate tests. Thc^ ibllow- 
ing are some of the saUs in solution: The Sulf. hates of 
Lime, Magnesia and Scda. There is no trace, whatever, 
of any Salt of Iron. 

The following was from Mount Ooram Lower Wells : 
Medical Collkge of Ohio, March 29lh ifc53. 

Sir: The first specimen of water brou-ht by you for 
analysis (No. 14 in a green g'ass porter bottle), contained 
as follows: Iron, medium ; Chlorine; Lime, rather large; 
Sulphuric acid; Carbonic acid in the form of Bi-carbon- 
ates; Soda; Magnesia. 

These were in the following form : 

Carbonate of Iron; Bi-caibonate of Magnesia; Bi-car- 
bonate of Lime; Muriate of Soda (common salt) ; Muriate 



(37) 

of Magnesia; Siilphate of Magnesia. 

The above with the exception of the Lime, are in small 
quantities. 

The following was from the spring: 
The second specimen brought by you (No. 13, in a 
wine bottle not stakd) contained as follows: Iron, slight^ 
Chlorine; Sulphuric acid; Carbonic acid, large; Lime, 
medluin; Magaesia; Soda. 

These were in the for.n of Carbonate of Iron; Bi- Car- 
bonate of Lime; Bicarbonate of Magnesia; Mur ate of 
Magnesin; Muriate of Soda, (common salt); Sulphate of 
Magnesia; Free Carbonic acid. 

Joseph M. Locke. 
Cincinnati, July 22d, 1££3. 
Dear Sir: The water left by ycu, some weeks since, 
to be analyzed qualitively has been foui.d to coutain as 
follows: 

Carbonic acid, Large quantity, 
Muriatic " Mtdiurn " 
Sulphuric " Medmm " 
Phosphoric Small " 
Lime, Large " 

Magnesia, Small " 

Aiumina, Small " 

Soda, Medium " 

The above exist in the lorm of 
Carbonate of Lime, 
Carbonate of Magnesia, 
Free or uncombined Carbonic aei4i 
Chloride of Lime, 
Chloride of Magnesium, 
Chior.de of Aluminum, 
Chloride of Sodium, (common salt) 
Sulphate of Lime, 



(38) 

Sulphate of Magnesia, 
Sulphate of Alumina, (Alum) 
Phosphate of Lime, 
Phosphate of Alumina, 
Yours respectfully, 
To Mr. Seaman, Esq. J. Morris Locke. 

The first three qualities of waters are from where people* 
have died with the milk sickness. The last is not the 
case as far as we can tell but some people that is not used 
to the water is often affected in the way of purgatives, &c. 

When water operates much on the bowels it is not 
healthy, especially to some people for it has some ten- 
dency to injure the blood by som.e fever being created and 
sometimes lingering diseases are caused by the use of bad 
water. Some people use the above kinds of water and 
apparently are well and pass unobserved of any small 
fevers, shortness of breath, &c. From some observations 
it appears that the irony minerals with the blue lime, clay 
and the other things spoken of above, are the most and 
principal things used where the people die with the milk- 
sickness, &c. If not the milksick, they have similar dis- 
eases, and often die with the typhoid fever. It is not to 
the advantage of professional men to acknowledge these 
statements, but it is well known that bad water is un- 
healthy. 

Note. — In the year 1814, a small boy of two years old, 
eat some of the poison ivy vine and it caused him to have 
a high fever and a breaking out all over the system similar 
to rash and milksickness. A doctor was called in and a 
cure sought for which had a good effect. The boy is still 
living, but the wild poison ivy vines have no more effect 
on said boy, but he has had the dropsy for about six 
months. 

When some people are poisoned by handling it and 



( 39 ) 

1)reak out in water blisters and finally becomes yellow 
matter. Some people do say that this complaint and 
poison destroys blood or has some effect to do so as in 
milk sickness and when doctors do examine people after 
death, then the public will be more convinced of the 
above diseases, &cl 

Some people say that swamp shumake and some other 
poison vines are not poison &c. It is true that they do 
not hurt some people and finally these that have been 
spoken of, may be considered as not poison and cause a 
costiveness and fever so as to stop the action of the sys- 
tem and then death is the result. Salt licks where salt 
bitrans are will kill whatever uses it, and some may say, 
that what causes the milksick is only enough poison so as 
to cause a lingering complaint and some no poison. 

The most of people will say that the above qualities of 
waters are healthy, &c. They may be to some people 
but the ravv^ qualities are quite different to some others 
again. And when these minerals and certain kinds of 
vegetables come together, and at a certain degree of heat, 
and the system out of order, and receiving some of the 
kinds of air above spoken of in the lungs, which is mostly 
after mght or early in the mornings. When cattle are 
neglected and get the same vegetables and not these kinds 
of water, they take the murrain. 

I always have found sick wheat and the milk sick to 
exist not many miles from each other and it appears that 
from some cause in the ground these things do exist to 
some extent in certain kinds of lands. 

In the year 1834, the moon fulled on the 2Ist of June, 
and that year the rust on wheat was very bad on many 
farms and a great quantity of sick wheat. The wheat 
took the spot so bad that a great quantity of it was not 
worth cutting. In the fall of '33 I cleared a new piece of 



(40) 

ground, and the fire burnt all over the ground in burning 
brush, log-heaps, &c. And after the ground was clea'ed 
and plowed, I sowed it down in whfat, ai.d ihe year '34 
the wheat on that ground was good, while all around on 
oth^r lands was not worth lutting. 1 was inclined to be- 
lieve that the fire had destroyed the substance th;U was 
near the top of the g ound, let it be what it was, raw 
lime, salt or minerals of some o her kii d, the small quan- 
tities of ashes on it would form some pota^h and likely 
would kill the o'h^r wilds, and if not destroyed will at 
certain times cause a kind ol air \^h"ch affect all vegeta- 
tions, &c. In the year 1853 the moon lulls on the 21st 
of June, and the wheat in n any f)lacfs w 11 le subject to 
rust, &c., as in thp year '34. Very dry weather some- 
times will sa\e fiom rot. Alter the moon is full the sap 
descends and the days getting shorter, the scales are 
downwad and all vegetables are more subject to rots, 
rust bl ghrs, &c. Wh^n the moon changes about the 17th 
of June, the sap is ris'ng while the grain is ripening and 
the straw ripens at the bottom as well as top. But in the 
reverse, the sap sinks to the bottom, and the gram ripens 
first at the top and this is the case when fogs and changes 
of weather, &c., is the straw bursts and takes the rust. 
In getting the hot rays of sun on the ground and rise of 
air therelrom cause destruction to grain, &c., by the ab- 
sence of electricity in lunar system. 

POTATOE RAISING 

For many years has been a subject of great business and 
has been attended with many d fficulties. But let us lock 
back and see how^ they grew w.ld and done well when a 
natural production of that country. 

When I plant potatoes I never cut them and I make the 
seed go as far as to cut, and they stand the dry w^eather 



(41) 

better and are not so apt to rot in cold wet spells of wea- 
ther, and the shoots come up more large ahd stroiig, and 
are able to stand hard hips and dew letter. In the year 
1818, I kiicw the potatoe to take the rot, ai.d in Ihe year 
18S9, also, and some at other years to a small e> tent, tut 
this year 1 have seen ihe potatoe rot from east to west, in 
diffe-ent land?, and all the forms of the rot. The rot is 
caused in diflFerent ways and is easily remedy d. The 
most of farmers can tell how to plow corn so a,s not to 
lire it. The potatoe is oilen fired and the p' tat e caused 
to rot by plowing wet, heav y f:0 1 up on ihe vines ai ter the 
young potatoes ha\e Kt. l"he hot sun and wet soil burns 
the vihes and causes the vine to rot and then the potatoe 
also will rot. Potatoes to do well never shou'd le h lied 
up any after the bloom is seen, lor if h.ikd up a. ter that 
time it v/ill cause an extra setting of young potaloe? and 
often will injure the fi st setting. When the potatoes lay 
in wet grou.id they will Oiten take ihe rot. Wash ng po- 
/\>""' tatoes when the ^'me is tender and la.d away damp in 
piles, then they will often take the rot. potatoes always 
shou d be la d where they will get well driCCi before bur.ed 
to do well, &c. But of all the lots in prtatc( s, the little 
bug is the worst of a 1. They are so poison that they will 
draw a blister equal to the Spanish lly. '1 hey light on 
the potatoe tops and trail oft' the leaves and pOiSon the 
tops and the tops turn bla«. k and set the potatoes to rotting. 
Otie should watch close and not let them stay on the po- 
tatoe vines, for they can be driven off. But ii the tops are 
somev. hat eaten off by the bugs when iou.d out one can 
save the potatoes by cutting off the tops, and kee[>ii g the 
poison from going to the potatoe. Aii this must be done 
bel'ore the tops get black. 

Potatoe stalks are full of juice, and the poison will soon 
run to the potatoe and if the tops aie young they will 



(42) 

grow again and if near ripe, they will finish out. These 
are my rules and I always save my potatoes, and never 
fail. Lime, sprinkling strong ashes and all heating things 
should be kept from the tops for they often do more harm 
than good. Potatoes sometimes are injured by tending 
and nursing them too much. When potatce tops are 
robbed of the leaves or the stocks bruised it is far more 
injurious to the potatoe than to cut off the tops and take 
them away, which I always do when I cut them off. Po- 
tatoe tops bruised at some times will do no harm, and at 
other times will do much harm. And by that means care 
is advisable always. 

Potato tops cut off when young will grow again and do 
well. Sometimes the grasshoppers and other insects will 
eat off the potatoe tops and cause them to rot. The grass- 
hopper comes from crickets and might be destroyed where 
the grass can be burnt, and also give the turkeys a chance 
to catch them, &c. Sometimes the potatoe tops will 
take the blight and cause a rot where they are planted in 
heavy, Avet soil, and after heavy rains falls on the grounds 
and after the rain is over the hot sun comes out and scalds 
the tops and causes a rot. Potatoes planted in soil that 
has been yarded and where much urine has been on the 
ground, after rains often such places a heat will arise and 
cause the rot in potatoes. The potatoe tops sometimes - 
will take the dry rot and die close to the ground. Some- 
times I have seen the dry rot take the potatoe tops in some 
way on lands where lime or log heaps have been burned. 
Too much lime or ashes will often have a bad effect, and 
sometimes a small amount will cause a rot in hot wet 
weather. The best way is not to plant potatoes in soil 
that has any of the above statements, in lime, ashes or 
urine yards. Potatoes to grow well and good and do well 
should not be planted on one piece of ground more than 



(43) 

one year, or one time in a place,, on- tl^e same ground-o- 
Potatoe tops sometimes will often have young shoots put- 
ting up like sap sprouts and keeping the young potatoes 
^ from growing and in such cases they may be topped, but 
never disturb the main stock, but take the young small 
shoots in the new of the moon, at the time of increase of 
sap and turn it to the growth of the potatoes. 

Sometimes the potatoe tops take the blight and turn- 
black as they die, but in most of cases, when examined, 
the tops even v/ith the ground, and downv^^ards are dead 
and dry and rotten as before stated. Any thing that kills 
the outside on the tops even with the ground and downward 
will cause the dry rot in the tops in the ground. Cabbage 
and vines sometimes take this complaint. All the above 
stated things should not be planted in such ground as 
above named although if the ground is rolling the cabbage 
and vines may do well. Potatoes planted in ground where 
it has been yarded and much urine has been thereon, if 
the potatoes come good, they will often have black hearts 
and become faulty after putting away. Onions sometime& 
take the rot when set out in the above named ground^ 
where it is wet and they get heated or scalded. 

A little sulphur sifted about on vines will keep off all 
bugs and the most of insects and potatoes planted in dry 
mellow rolling ground or soddy land and strict attention 
paid and when any insects appears use a little sulphur and, 
the buggs will soon be off and you will not have the po-. 
tatoe rot if done in good time and dug in good season. 
After potatoes are planted a good way is to keep them 
healthy. Sift over some fine charcoal and by so doing in 
a few years they will become healthy, for no insects will 
like coal or sulphur of brimstone. 

When potatoes are planted in this way deep or well 
held up, and in ground not much adopted to weeds they. 



(29) 

will not want any more tend-niT. Snuff sometlmps is good 
to drive off insects. Sometimes whj'n Mie ground is dry, 
the buggs will liffht on the main stalks, and are nrt any 
notice taken of th^m and by getting a small bnuh they 
tail down th'^ stock and lay th^re con. ealcd in the dry cirds 
but a Htt'e snuff or su]|:bur of brimstone will drive them 
avv^ay. The bugs very o.ten s'ing the main potatop stalks 
and depo^ite the ebb which forms the insect in the stalk 
and are se'dom found oi-t until too late to sa\ethe potatoes 
from rotting. The main stalk iorms or has ihe large po- 
mostiy ai.d they being ?tu;.ig or trimmed of the leaves the 
potatoe rots. Sometirns tlie buf^ is driven off and do not 
affect the small outs'de staik and in th s case there will 
come some small potatoes. In all cnscs one ^boii d vvaich 
his potatoe tops and not let them turn blatk Leirre ihey 
are cut off if they have been stung or he may not be able 
to save the potatoes. After tlip tops are cut otf and taken 
away, \he bugs will leave and soon bt gonf . A ter the 
tops are cut off lime or aehes sprinkled on may do more 
harm than good for alter the tops are cut off tbey ; hould 
have the pu e air, and not ha\e thrm coveicd up*, Lut 
leave (hem clear to do well. More damage very oiten is 
done in doctoring potatoe tops and oiher vines ihan good. 
For the most part of the blight in all tops of potatoes 
and vines they are stung by insect^ and a small poition 
3f sulphur will remove them so easy and will do no more 
harm to the sap nor stop the giowih of any thing and 
vhen the sulphur is with the sap scarciy any inset will 
ouch it or come about where it is. Potatoe grcund to 
lo well should be plowed in the fall for the ne>;t spring 
o as to give distruction to insects when potatoes are plan- 
ed early in spring, they mostly will get nearly or quite 
heir growth lefore the many insects come to aflect the 
)Otatoe. Snails sometimes work on Potatoes and other 



(45) 

matters and at some times have a bad effect. Salt will 
drive them Itoqi cabbage and will not hurt the cabbage. 
Potatoe tops sometimes will take the blight in dry weather 
and dry up and the potatoe will only wilt. Potatoes 
sometimes rot in w^ t, heavy soil, by laying too long after 
they get their growth, and some times before they are 
grown where there is too much wet weather. ALout the 
24th of June, the days mostly are at full length and if the 
mooi lulls at that time, and about the middle of the day 
then tliere is mu^h dinger in all vines and many other 
things being killed by hot suns, rains, logs and honey 
dews, &c'. The spot on wheat and the lust and the many 
diseases ihat the iarnier has to put up w^ilh in his horti- 
cultural anangements. The iarmers should ha\e theri 
lands d.y snA warm so as to i'orward their crops and get 
their sjiali grain a:.d potatoes out of danger Lei'ore the 24th 
of Jane. Potatoe tops cut oft' at that time woo'd be apt 
to kill ihem. Potatoes being you.;g very often and full 
of sap and when the days are on a stand and the mooD 
also, or on the decline then the many diseases comt 
on, whi h can be remedied by care and pains. The long 
red potatoes seldom jct as muLh as other potatoes and' thf 
cause iS, they have a long string or stem that connects the 
potatoe to the tops and when the potatoes get near growi 
then the string becon.es son.ewhat dry end hard and th< 
poison will not go from the tops to the potatoes as whei 
young and green. Some people say that the moon has m 
effect on cuituring, but they haAe become satittied that 'th 
rot and many other diseases are certainly in their potatoe 
and grain, if the people will take notice of the moo; 
full and changing and fogs, dews, hot scalds by the sur 
cold blasts of the wind, &c., at and after the full lengt 
of days they will soon find out the cause of the rot, cho 
ria and other fatal diseases in their agricultural arrang( 



(46) 

'inents and at what time to kill, &c. Potatoes will lay in 
dry ground all winter and not rot but cut and plant in the 
spring and summer, they are subject to the above state- 
ments. Plant a row of potatoes and a row of tobacco 
and so on in a patch together they will do well. 

When the days are getting longer, and the moon is run- 
ning high, the sap is on the increase, and all things grow- 
ing out of the earth are on a rush of growth; but, after 
the days are at full length, the moon running low and on 
the decline, then one may look out for danger. When the 
moon runs low the tides will run low, and sap and many 
ECrowing things are near to a stand and are easily affected. 
When the ground is very dry there is but little sap flowing, 
and the string: that connects the Potatoe to the vine is so 
dry that the poison, or disease, will not go from, the vines 
to the potatoes, and in such case the potatoes ar^ some- 
tim.es saved from rottini^, more especially v/hen near grown. 
The buo[s stiufxin^^ the vines is somethini^ like the locusts 
stinging the trees ; they deposit the insects and disappear. 
In hot Aveather, v/hen the ground is very wet, and v/ater is 
'standing about the vines, then it affects the sap ; and the 
.un shininor hot and not much wind ffoi^^^? Ihe air will be- 
Some so impure that the most of vegetation, and even 
Tuit trees, will be more or less afiected, &c. 
' Some people think if they plant potatoes in March and 
^ime in the hill a little, that w^ill keep them from rotting ; 
Sut it is a mistake, occasionally. The early planting is 
Vhat m^akes the difference, for the potatoe v/ill get near 
Town, and the connecting string gets hard before the dis- 
ease comes on. Sometimes lime will do some good to 
'elp dry the string, and sometimes it will do harm and 
^ause a blight in hot and wet weather. Plow in the fall, 
^nd liming would be of some use to kill insects, and get 
'ie ground in good order. Planting year after year on 



(47) 

one piece of ground, the disease will, to some extent, re- 
main in the ground, when the ground lays rolling from the 
sun, or is fiat, and contains mineral substances and con- 
fined air, then after the above stated the potatoes will rot, 
but when care is taken, and doing what is written here, 
one will save the potatoes. 

Potatoes should be planted so as to get the early sun- 
shine, and dry off before the heat of the day comes on, 
and have pure air. Some people say that all air is pure, 
and there is no confined air; but what is in saying con- 
fined air is sometimes ; there is but little air stirrino- in the 
heat of the day, and the hot sun shining on the wet ground 
and vines, there will be hot and cold breezes of air, and 
sometimes makes one feel bad by the different rans;es of 
air and a small circulation of wind to be felt stirring. 
Where insects on vines in the above situation, the vinei? 
often are more or less affected. Sometimes the leaves on 
vines and fruit trees curl up, and people often cannot tell 
what is the cause ; but if they would take a magnifying 
glass and look through on the under side of the leaf they 
would see living things at work, &c. 

Note. — The Japanese gardeners, and many others of 
old countries, display the most astonishing art to farmers, 
lunar electricity. In her increase the moon supplies more 
electricity to the atmosphere ; hence, all. vegetation de- 
pending on atmospherical electricty should be sown or plant- 
ed near the second quarter; they grow thrifty without 
bearing many flowers ; trimming and setting out fruit trees, 
esculent roots, &Co depending for nourishment on terres- 
trial magnetism; (instead of atmospheric electricity), 
should be sown or planted in the decrease of the moon. 
The soil of different regions attracts different tints and 
qualities of electricity to their atmospheres ; hence, the 
difference in atmospheric phenomena ; also, in climater 
iiationality, &c. | 



(48) 

The Dandelion, in medicine, is considered an excellent 
tonic and corrector of any dera igenient of the lunjtions 
of th ^ liver, dyspepsia, and ch 'onic diseases of the diges- 
tive o'gans; it may be used for these pu poses in two 
ways, viz: in decoction and in the form of an ext^'act. 
For decoction tike, say, roots and herbs, wash ciea.i, half 
pou.id; soit water, hilf a gallon; boil down to a pint; 
th? dise fro.n oae to two wine glasses full, twice a da}^ 
To make the extract: take fresh roots, say a pouiid a.xl a 
haT, b:"ivise them ; pure soi't wa'er, boJing, two gillons; 
let it stand twenty-four h^u's. then boil down to a gallon ; 
strain it wh le hot, and sim:ner it away gently to a ih'ck, 
waxy iu'jstan^e ; be care!'u! not to burn it in the latter et^ge 
of th.-^ process; it should b^ a brown, bitter, aro riatic 
substance, and eas 'y d;ssol- ed in water. The dose of 
this 's from ten to thirty g ah,s. Li.'e Everlastingj some 
ca'l it. Old Fie'd Balsom is good in some cas-^s: equal 

, parts of Dandelion and Lite Everlasting, made into a 
syrup: say, to the above put in one ounje of sweet oil, 

J four ounces of loaf sugar; and, when using, put in vine- 
gar enough to taste ; and it will cu'e the Asthma without 

,^ fail. If people wou'd use ths medlcin3in bad colds, they 

'never would die with the Co.isumption. 

■^THE DRY BELLY-ACHE AND DRY MURRAIN. 

■; Cattle sometimes take th's complaint, and many are 
ijlcst for not knowing how to doctor for the complaint, and 
.^sometimes do not doctor right. They should always know 
•what the complaint is before giving anything. When 
jcither of these cases are bad, give an injection of h-^g's 
(lard and tobacco, and give them some as a drench. When 
t^he case is not bad, a dose of from one pint to a quart will 
^oon give relief. After a full operation, give some sul- 
l,ihur and saltpetre. Dose, in bad cases, one ounce ; at 



(49) 

most of times half an ounce ; sulphur, two large spoon- 
fuls ; and the suiphur and saltpetre will soon put the sys- 
tem in a good condition. Some say that sulphur and salt- 
petre is dangerous to give or take ; but there is no more 
danger in it than m any other medicine. I have taken 
large doses very often, and the next day went into the 
water ; and if I ever caught cold I did not know it. Keep 
in the dry for the first twelve hours, then the danger is 
over. For stock to do well — both swine and cattle — they 
should have some once a month at least. People who 
take suiphur twice a month seldom have the rheumatic 
pains. 

BLACK TONGUE IN HORSES AND CATTLE. 

This disease has prevailed indifferent States, and many 
fine horses and cattle have been lost for the want of know- 
ing how to doctor them. When the tongue or mouth gets 
sore, take a little blue vitriol, pound to a powder, and 
wrap a small portion in a rag, and tie to the bridle bitts 
and let the horse chew and work in the mouth, and the 
canker will soon be killed and be as other sores ; a good 
strong white oak juice is very good to heal up such sores, 
and many other sores on a horse. Blue vitriol will cure 
any kind of canker or sore throat, by rubbing on a time 
or two, and then use some kind of healing mouth water — - 
strong white. oak juice is very good. 

RING-BONE ON HORSES. 

This can be cured with the oil of vitriol. Take and 
burn the place with the oil of vitriol so as to kill the gris^ 
tie ; a little at a time applied will soon stop it fro . i grow- 
ing; and then use some oil of spike or some healing salve, 
and a cure will soon be effected. 

4* 



(56) 
SPAVIN ON HORSES. 

'i-hLs diBccise can be. cured in most of casesc Take one 
ha].^ ]vy]t of sweet oil, tv/o ounces of spirits of tarpentiae, 
on: (K oil of spike, one ounce of oil of amber, one 

ou:iwC cl arganum, one ounce of seneca oil, one oimce o.f 
spirits of hartshornj half an ounce of camphor, quarter pf 
an-oir.ico of ' opiiirnj and luix y/ell together, D.nd rub on 
every few days.' This will reduce the bone and slop it 
A'Oiii growing, and take away the soreness, &c. This is 

■/\'\] 10 Mexican Mustang Liniment, or better. 

OUEE FOR Tl^EE IMPLICATION IN THE 
KIDNEYS. 

Th;.:; disease often kilis horses, and the cause is not 
•vnov/n, Syniploms : the horse will often stretch and try 
i'o rnakc water and becoixie weak and sore across the loins, 

:.' d by holdiEig one ear close on the horse near the ki(J- 
neys, they can hear the water drop when the horse isx^vell^ 
but' all drop faih:5 m case of the disease. Cure : give sul- 
pbi?i' e,;d saltpetre, mixed in ffin, and bathe the back with 
wdiisky and spirits of turpentine, and repeat tlie do^-es until 
cared, - 

A GOOD LINIMENT FOE HEAD-ACHE, AND* 
xMANF PAINS, 

Take one quart of alcohol or good whisky, three ounce* 
of spirits of turpentine, half an ounce of camphor, quar- 
ter of an ounce of opium, one onnce of hartshorn, and 
mix well together, and shake up when usingc This is the 
way most of the Liniments are made for the rheumatism, 
and are very good for man and horse, and will sametime* 
cure the rheumatism pains. Some old settled rheumatisia 
paims are hard to cure where they have been of long stand- 
ing and the joints are much swollen. In such c^ma oint 



(61) 

with the oil extracted from the joints of horse bones : 
but, when the system is much affected and swollen, take 
pond lilly and make a strong tea, and bathe often; some- 
times make it into poltices, thickened with corn meal ; 
and a speedy cure will be effected, for which I never knew 
to fail, if good attention is carried out. 

HOW TO CURE BAD CUTS AND OLD SORES. 

Make a liniment of two ounces of good whisky, half 
an ounce of loaf sugar, two drachms of opium, and wet 
a linen lint with the liniment, and lay on the sore after 
washing the so^e with Castile soap. When sores have 
proud flesh in, a little fine rosin should be sometimes put 
on the sore, for sores very often have bad flesh in, when 
they have been created by colds, or by drinking strong, 
intoxicating liquors ; as when one drink much strono- 
drinks these kinds of liniments will seldom do much good ; 
but when a man keeps from strong drinks and keeps tem- 
perate, in food and work, these cures will soon be effected. 

A PAIN-KILLING LINIMENT. 

This is similar to what is selling very high. One pint 
of brandy, quarter of an ounce of camphor, two drachms 
of opium, one ounce of spirits of turpentine, and as much 
Cayenne pepper as to make it hot ; some severe pains need 
it more hot than others. 

Judkins' ointment is very good for manv sores, burns, 
kc. How to make it : rosin, linseed oil, and spirits of 
turpentine, equal parts ; but, to make it better, put in 
beeswax and mutton tallow — all equal parts. This salve, 
or ointment will sometimes cure scald-h ead, by wearing 
bladder caps. This kind of ointment will cure the scab, 
cancers, and the most of bad humors, by mixing in some 
red precipitate and seneca oil, and keep the system free 



(52) 

from fever and the blood pure, by taking some sulphur or 
salts, or some burdock and dogwood, or wild cherry bit- 
ters, &c. 

WORTH NOTICE TO ALL. 

The most of disease is caused by intemperance — by 
drink, food, or some hard exposure. The dyspepsia, for 
one, comes on often, incessant uneasiness, and pain in the 
stomach ; two or three times a day the pain increases so 
as to make ihem complain with agony. These attacks 
happen after food, and sometimes when none has been 
taken they will raise much sour clear tluid from the stom- 
ach in the morning; the stomach swells much at night; 
tongue coated and clammiy; much thirst, no appetite, 
bowels costive, dull, stupefying sensation in the forehead, 
sometimes sick at the stomach, &c. Cases of the diges- 
tion of the stomach after death frequently occur in the 
history of medical experience, which shows conclusively 
that there must be some powerful digestive principle in 
the membranes or glands of that organ.. Lpon this deep- 
ly interesting point. Dr. Dunglison says : " Powerful as 
the action of the gastric juice may be in dissolving food, 
it does not exert it upon the coats of the stomach during 
life. Being endowed with vitality they effectually resist 
it; but when the stomach has lost its vitality its walls 
yield to the chemical power of the digestive fluid which 
they contain, and become softened, and in part destroyed. 
Numerous examples of this have been observed. The 
fact is one of great importance, and were it not understood 
might be set down as strong corroborative evidence in 
cases of suspected poisoning. 

PROCESS AND PHYSIOLOGY OF DIGESTION. 

BY J. S. HOUGHTON, M. D. 

*' The process of Digestion consists, from first to Ir 



(53) 

of the breaking up and dissolving of the food, and of ist 
conversion into a homogeneous fluid called chyle, and then 
into blood. The first, and one of the most important 
parts of the process, is the mastication or chewing of the 
food in the mouth. The object of this is not only to 
break up the food into small particles, but to mix and 
moisten it thoroughly with the mucuous and salivary fluids 
of the mouth. It has been shown, by abundant experi^ 
ments, that, unless properly chewed and mixed with saliva, 
the food is not so easily nor so perfectly digested in the 
stomach. Now, if the teeth be bad, so as not to chew 
the food swallowed w^ithout chewing, or the sources of 
saliva be destroyed by the too free use of tobacco, or other 
substances, the process of digestion in the stomach must 
be delayed or imperfect. 

"The human stomach is a soft, thin bag, capable, usual- 
ly. Of holding about two or three pints— sometimes four 
or five pints. It is slightly muscular; not very powerfully 
so, as a general thing. Its motions are chiefly caused by 
the act of breathing, which moves the stomach along 
with the lungs' diaphragm and bowels. The process of 
digestion in the stomach is ch"efly one of chemical solu- 
tion, and is performed by the agency of a fluid which 
flows from its inner lining, called the gastric juice. The 
true digestive principle or active property of this gastric 
juice is a peculiar substance called pepsin. This pepsin 
may be obtained from the gastric juice or from the solid 
material of the stomach itself, 

'' While the stomach is free from food the gastric juice 
does not flow into it ; but as soon as its food is taken, it 
begins freely to exude from its inner surface, provided the 
organ be in a state of health. The fluid portions of the 
of the food, as tea, coflfee, spirits, water, &c., are first 
absorbed by the veins and lymphatic vessels of the stom- 



ach before the digestion of the solid food begins. It is 
also thought that the gastric juice does not flow into the 
rtomach with much rapidity until the fluids are ail ab- 
sorbed. Nor will the gastric juice make its appearand 
while the stomach is cooled below 100 degrees of heat ; 
and hence the impropriety of using much iced water at 
dinner to chill the stomach and retard digestion. The 
gastric juice must penetrate the food to act upon it and 
dissolve it easily and rapidly. This shows the necessity 
of through chewing and of motion, to toss the i\)od about 
and mix it with the fluids. Grease is rarely dissolved in 
the stomach, and greasy food can not readily be penetra- 
ted by the gastric juice. Lean roast beef and mutton, if 
not too hard cooked, dissolve in the stomach in about 
three hours; roast pork requires nearly six hours. Lying 
down after dinnei, or cramping the stomach by sitting 
down and leaning forward, after a full meal, retards diges- 
tion. Food thrown too rapidly into the stomach causes 
cramps and distressing pains. The too frequent use of 
mustard, pepper, spiced food, vinegar, salt, ardent spirits, 
beer, &c., destroys the capacity of the stomach lor pro- 
ducing gastric juice. Over-eating distends the stomach 
unnaturally, and throws more food into it than it can fur- 
nish gastric juice to dissolve. Eating between meals and 
before going to bed, keeps the stomach constantly at work, 
and breaks ,down its natural powers. Many people eat 
mustard enough with their dinner to create a blister over 
the whole surface of the chest, and then wonder that they 
have indigestion. If a proper quantity of food be taken, 
and properly chewed, and the stomach be in a healthy 
condition and furnish a due quantity of gastric juice, the 
food is dissolved in about three hours, without causing any 
uneasiness, and converted into a fluid called chyme. As 
fast as the chyme is formed it is passed off through the 



^ { DO ; 

• 
lower end of t-be stomach into the ilrst portion of tbfe 
intestiiiesj called the duodenum, there to be mixed with 
Ihe gall or bile produced hj the liver, the pancreatic jiiice 
furnished by the 'pancreas or sweat bread and the nattiM 
iBUc<3^as of the intestines. This is^ in fact^ another stom- 
ach; and here another process Oa^ digestion takes' placso 
If the food has keen well digested in the stomach,- and'-ff 
tfie liver be healthy and furnish plenty of bile orga'L d.xm 
the ether requisite juices or flnids be present, then ifw 
chyme received from the stomach is converted into '&■ new 
fluid called chyle ; the nutritious portion is sepairnted from 
the iiinntritious portion^ and the process of dh:/ \ is 

complete. The nutritious portion of the n;- '\ :.:aid 
(the pure chyle) is now absorbed by a set o-:' ; called' 

lacteals, ivhich literally drink it up and pass it- into -cer- 
tain channels^ which conduct it into the onrv^-t of-the^ 
blood flowing to the heart. The innulritn. : [QT'-naif 

thus taken up5 passes off by the intestines, to be riiscllargv-. 
ed from the body aG useless, 

•*VNow, notice this: if the food has not been w^i' di» 
gested in the stomachj and if the liver be diseaEed -aHd'? 
does not furnish bile to the intestines, why then the' process ' 
of digestion in the intestines will not be properly perforii^i^ 
^d, and the precious materials of the food will not be t^^^ 
en up or converted into blood, the unforiunate subject at' 
this disease will fail to be properly nourished, and' great ' 
debility must ensue. Again: the bile is the Dnta;ii.> pur- ' 
gative of the intestines, and if it fail to be supplied in ud-^'i 
equate quantity the severest form of costivenefs' ?/ilb B#^ 
the inevitable result. And, further^ if the bile ' ■ . ■ ■•■^o- 
arated from the blood by the liver, then it will, of course, 
remain in the blood, and will continue to flow through the' '^ 
circulation to the brain and other organs, to whiqh.'it?i'pia ; 
poison^ tinging the eyes and skin with its natural je I i'otr»' : 



color — the hue of jaundice. The blood, instead of being 
red, vital, and stimulating, will be black, thick, tar-like, 
cold, and full of impurit}'. Without a healtliy stonmch, 
and plenty of good gastrie juice, it will be readily per- 
ceived, there can be no good d'gestion, nor any proper con- 
version of food into blood. Rob the stomach of its gastric 
juice, and all the horrors of indigestion, dyspepsia, jaun- 
dice, liver complaint, and costlveness, must ensue. The 
gastric juice is not only the gi-eat chemical solvent of the 
food, but it is the purifying, preset ving, and stimulating 
agent of the stomach and intestines. It will sweeten pu- 
trid meat more effectually than saleratus, and will retard 
putrefaction as powerfully as alcohol. It is also highly 
stimulating to the nervous system and to the stomach, and 
other organs. A half dead, weak, or injured stomach 
can not produce good gastric juice, or a sufficient quantity 
of it. 

'' But this want may readily be supplied, by extracting 
the digestive principle — pepsin — from the stomachs of an- 
imals, resembling man's ; thus forming an artificial fluid, 
precisely like the natural gastric juice in its chemical pow- 
ers, and furnishing a complete and perfect substitute for it. 
By the aid of this artificial digestive fiuid the pains and 
evils of indigestion, dyspepsia, and liver complaint, are 
speedily removed, just as they would be by a healthy 
stomach; the food is properly converted into blood, the 
body is nourished, good health and vigor are rapidly im- 
parted to the whole organization, and the digestive organs 
share with the rest in the happy results." 

The dyspepsia is one of the diseases that are hard to 
mre, when not rightly understood, and so ofen wTongly 
loctored for, 

A very good medicine for this complaint is ; take one 
tint of brandy, one ounce of Peruvian bark, one ounce of 



( 57 ) 

Virginia snake root, one ounce of dandelion roots, and one 
ounce of white roots, all in one bottle ; and when well 
mixed it will soon be fit for use. Dose : one spoonful 
twice a day, after eating; this will keep the food from 
souring on the stomach, and stimulate, &c. This mode 
of doctoring has cured some very bad crs^s. 

BLEEDING AT THE LUNGS. 

Take a hop-toad and lay it on a hot shovel, and while 
it is broiling hold the face over the steam, so as to get the 
sm«ll and scent good, and the blood v/iil soon stop. If 
the dose cannot be 'got, then take a piece of fresh 
beef, and put some sugar of lead on it, and cook in 
same form. This mode of doing one w^ill not get the lead 
cholic, as some do get it in taking sugar of lead, to stop 
the bleeding at the lungs. 

WARTS. 

There are many ways to kill warts, but the following is 
very easy and good : pare it a little, so as to make it ten- 
der; flash gunpowder on the warts, and they will soondis- 
appear. 

A SORE BREAST OF FEMALES. 

A very good salve, made of molasses or su2;ar and hog's 
lard and tobacco, and a little tar in it, or spirits of turpen. 
tine ; if near gathering it will come to a head ; and if not,^it 
will soon disappear without "fail. The same is good for a 
cow's spoilt bag. 

THE GEMS OF THE TWELVE MONTHS 

Is a Polish superstition, that each month has a particular 
gem attached to it, which governs it, and is supposed to in- 



flueiice the destiny of persons born in that month. It !&, 
therefore, customary amo.ig friends and lovers, particular- 
ly, to present each other oa their natal days, some trinket 
containing their tutelary gems, accompanied with its ap- 
propriate wish ; this kind fate, or perhaps kinder fancy, 
generally contrives to realize according to their expecta- 
tion. 

Janairy — Jiein-h or garnet — denotes constancy and f- 
delitv in every engageiiient. 

February — Amethyst — preserves mortals from stron<; 
pass ens, and ensures peacr of mind. 

March — Bloodstone — denotes coui'affe and secrecv in 
dangerous enterprises. 

Ap il — Sapphire or dimond — denotes repentance and in- 
nocence. 

Miy — E nerald — successlui love. 

Ju ic — A^fit" — ansures loaj^ Ufa and health. 

July — Ruby or CorneLan — ensures the forgetfulness or 
bure oi" evils sjjringing tVo.i i'riendship or love. 

Au::(ust — Sirdonic — ensures conjugal felicity. 

September — Chrysolite — preserves from or cures folly. 

October— Aquamarine or Ophale — denotes misfortunes' 
and hope. 

Novenber — Topas — eusures fidelity and friendship. 

December — Turqnorse or Malakite — denotes the mott 
brilliant success and happiness in every circnmstance of 
life. 

SIGNS. 

To hear a death watch denotes that there is a little in- 
sect iiear you. A ringiig m the sar is a sign^that you 
have taken a little cold. To see strange sights, or to hear 
dismal souids, is a sign there is something to cause them, 
or th it your head or a tvous system is disordered. To 



(59) 

have frightful dreams, is a sign that you ate too much sup- 
per. To see an apparition, or to be bewitched, is an in- 
controvertible evidence that you are lacking common 

sense. 

TO JOIN STONE OR GLASS. 

Heat the glass or stone and gum shellac over a heat un- 
til the gum is dissolved, and press hard together until cold; 
<rr thus :melt a little isinglass in spirits of wine, and add 
a small quantity of water ; warm the mixture gently over 
!!, moderate fire ; when mixed it will form glue, perfectly 
transparent, which will re-unite broken glass nicely and 
firmly. 

THE CROUP. 

This complaint is, in most cases, perfectly efficient. 
Treatment thus : a mustard plaster on the stomach, and a 
strip of flannel wet with a little spirits of turpentine and 
hartshorn applied to throat, and nauseating doses of hive 
syrup, to be continued as long as the croup remains. This 
is simple, safe and easy, and if done in time a speedy 
cure. 

THE BLOODY FLUX. 

This is one of the fatal diseases, and very often many 
die with it, in not knowing how to doctor for it ; for it is 
not like the common diarrhoea and summer complaint ; it 
is a seep of the blood into the bowels ; and the blood must 
be operated on as well as the bowels, or a fever in the 
head will settle, and death will follow. Treatment thus : 
good strong white oak bark tea, with a little loaf sugar 
and sulphur of brimstone, in small doses, often, until 
checked up, and then work off with a little castor oil. Or 



(60) 

thus: sometimes loaf sugar and sulphur and good old 
brandy will cure. Castor oil is very good to heal the 
bowels, and in mild cases of the flux sometimes will effect 
a cure. 

HOW TO KEEP EGGS. 

Pack them up in fine charcoal, in boxes or casks, so 
that you can turn them upside down every day in hot 
weather, and the charcoal will keep them pure and good 
for a long time ; but they must be kept in the dry to da 
well in most of cases. 

LOCK JAW. 

The application of beef's gall to the wound is said to be 
a certain preventive and remedy for lock jaw. Beside its 
anti-spasmodic qualities, the gall draws from the wound 
any particles of wood, glass, iron, or other substances 
that may cause irritation, when other applications have 
failed to do so. Beef's gall, English garlic, and spirits of 
turpentine, given in small doses, is very good for children 
that have worms, and often cures fits. When Endish grar- 
lie is not at hand, take assafoetida. Children that get this 
treatment sometimes in mornings will be hearty. 

DROPSY. 

This disease is often caused by exposure and neglect. 
When people have the fever and ague, and some other 
complaints, the blood becomes very bad, and in doctoring 
wrong, they sometimes get the Dropsy. This complaint 
has often been cured with a tea made of wandering milk 
weed root, winter green and seneca root; the same is very 
good for the gravel and kidney complaints. Winter green 
is sometimes called tea berry ; in the fall it has a little red 
berry on and a pleasant scent. The wandering milk weed 



(61) 

has a long, slim leaf and cotton pods, and little, slim 
bunches like bean pods, and the root is black and bitter. 
la doctoring lor Dropsy one should take some sulphur oc- 
casionally and the tea for a constant drink. 

MAD DOG BITE. 

When bit by a mad dog they must diet nine daj^s, and 
take inwardly plenty of good brandy and as much tincture 
of iron and a preparation of arsenic, or dog button, medi- 
cine as a skillful doctor would allow for doses. Apply to 
the wound or place bitten, a poultice made of good whis- 
ky, dandelion, and Ledf s gall, thickened with corn meal ; 
the gall and a few drops of spirits of turpentine should be 
spread on the plaster when made ready for use. This 
poultice should be renewed often at first, and give as free 
access to blood coming out as possible, if there should be 
any seeping. Dog button is more poisoning to v/hat comes 
into the world for nine days than it is for man, and m.an 
is hard to kill with it; therefore it would be better to use 
for hydrophobia than what arsenic v/ould be. In the 
above disease and snake bite, a person can drink much 
more brandy without being intoxicated than at other times. 
I never knsw any person to die with hydrophobia that has 
doctored in the above mode, but knew one that has had 
the hydrophobia for twenty-three years, and still is living 
in a lingering way, and has only used a part of the medi- 
cine, and not at first, as it ought to have been used* 

SORE THROAT AND HOARSENi;SS. 

When the throat is sore and the amnons of the ears are 
down, a good cure is to take the marrow from a hog's jaw 
bone, and steep it in black pepper and vinegar, and bind 
it on the throat with a flannel rag, and take some vinegar, 
butter, molasses, and onions, and go to bed. Sometimes 



(62) 

. before going to bed eat an onion or two ; it is very good for 
bad colds. 

BOTS IN HORSES. 

To expel bots from a horse, take one dog button and 
grate fine, and put it into spirits of milk, sweetened with 
molasses, and add a quarter of a pound of blue clay, and 
mix well, and give for a dose to a horse ; in two hours af- 
ter the above has been given then give some oil to work 
off. The above is the best to kill bots that has been found 
out, as I have ever been able to learn. But of either of 
the one, button or clay in milk has often expelled bots. 
Said clay, when hird and dry, a small piece put into vin- 
egar will set the vinegar to boiling, and its qualities at 
large are but little known. The above is very good to 
expel leaches from cattle. 

GATHERING IN THE HEAD. 

This complaint was cured many years ago by the Indians 
as follows : bind oysters on the ear, one after another, as 
fast as they would smell bad, and a speedy and sure cure 
will ensue. The oyster must be fresh from the shell. 
When the oyster can not be had a hop-toad wall do ; use 
one-half at a time. They should be warmed a little be- 
fore they are applied. 

LAME BACK. 

Sometimas people get a pain in the back or side from 
>ame hurt or cold. Cure : take a little oats or hops, heat 
them up ir> vinegar, and bind on where the pain is, and 
renew often in bad cases, and the pain will soon cease. 
The above, in all cases, will not do an/ harm^ and seldom 
i'iUa to cure if properly applied. 



(63) 

CURE FOR AN ACHING, HOLLOW TOOTH, 

The following is an old cure : take half a grain each 
of opium and yellow sulpate of quick silver, formerly 
called turpith mineral ; make them into a pill, and place 
it in the hollow of the tooth some hours before bed-time, 
with a small piece of wax over the hole, when it is said 
never to fail effecting a complete cure. 

POWDER FOR SILVERING. 

20 grains of Silver in Powder ; 
120 '.' '' Cream of Tartar; 
120 " '' Salt; 
10 ■^' <-' Alum ; 
A little Salamoniac— ail well mixed. 
The plate or work must be clean and free from 
grease. Then rub the plate with salt and water, and next 
with the above powder ; then rinse well and dry the work 
a:id varnish with white varnish. 

WiiTK Vaknish. — Mastic,- half an ounce; White 
Frankincense, quarter of an ounce; Sandarac, half an 
ounce ; Benzoin, half an ounce ; and highly rectified Al- 
cohol, one pint. 

The following should have succeeded the remarks on 
the potato rot, but was unintentionally omitted : 

As I have before, in sorne other statements, said that 
last year was a fruitful season; and gave my reasons for 
it, with the exception of frost, and extremely dry as they 
may occur; and this year is a year for insects, for they 
have their turn as the locusts do. The blights, also, are 
ia same rotations ; sometimes extremely dry weather pre- 
vents, to some extent, but as soon as rain comes thea the 
nights will be some colder and blights begin. Fruits are 
^ome subject to blights in July and August, in all feaj* 



( 64 ) 

when certain things occur as I have said in other places. 
The Grape-culturing men should begin to prune their 
grape vines in the first quarter of the moon, so as to pre- 
vent as little dead spots in the vines as possible, and give 
i'ree access to sap. Ail places where vines are cut off 
should be seared with some wax to keep the vines from 
bleeding, and keep all weeds and other obstructions from 
the vines, so that they may be able to stand the dry weath- 
er better, and then the other complaints would not be so 
liable to aliect them. Fall plowing and a little liming is 
a good way to get rid of insects, &c., and may help to 
prevent blights. When small quantities of lime have been 
put on the tanning lands in the fall, and the water kept 
from standing on the ground while culturing the next 
year, it will, to some extent, prevent the blight. The use 
of sulphur is very good to keep off insects, and Vv^ll do 
some good otherwise to the vines; and more depends on 
keeping the vines good than anything else. Vines should 
not be too close together; the}^ should have a chance for 
oxygen before the heat of the day arrives. Trimming in 
the decrease of the moon the sap is descending, and in so 
doing jou make black spots in the vines, and when a full 
fiow of sap rises, then often impurity is caused. Very of- 
ten people want to have raspberries, grapes, and apple 
trees, and many things, all mixed together, and the result 
is often attended with difficulties and damage. 

Grapes, fruits, etc., take the blights, rots, and so on, 
more from the impurity of the sap than from anything 
else ; but when the days are shortening and the moon de- 
creasing, a little damp weather often will start them to 
rotting by the vines being on the decrease ; and in all such 
yrears as this one may look for more or less of diseases 
imong grapes, fruits, potatoes, grain, etc. : but if it is ex- 
fremely dry they sometimes escape the above complaints. 



(65) 

But the graia is often small or sunk, and the fruits and 
vegetables are in like manner, but grapes in dry weather. 
Sometimes a little insect works on one side of the leaf, 
and it rolls up, and is so injured that the vines do not re- 
ceive a regular quantity of oxygen, and in this case the 
grapes are liable to wilt or rot, and by the use of sulphur 
of brimstone in hot water poured on the main body of the 
vine all around it, at the surface of the ground, very often 
has a good effect, and they become healthy; very often 
the disease is at the root, and in that case the hot water is 
very beneficial. Sometimes fruits and some vegetalles do 
well to cross or graft, and so on ; it improves the quality. 
And again; some others will not do at all; they are too 
thick; they do not receive the oxygen as they should. It 
may be said in this case that when some kinds of fruits are 
too close together, and will not mix, they arritate, and one 
or the other will be impure, and sometimes the tree or 
vine dies, by receiving the scent of eat h other, and not 
the oxygen, as they should. If the above rules are car- 
ried out all will do well, and the leaves of the trees and 
vines will die with old age. The above work was written 
for the United States, but will serve with little variation 
for other countries. 

Note.— In the year 1829, in Gloucester county, N. J., 
on the first of June, a heavy hail storm fell for some dis- 
tance around the country, and cut down all the rye and 
young corn, and the potatoes, &c. My potato tops were 
in bud for bloom, and they were all cut down to the ground, 
and I took my knife and trimmed off the top butts, and 
they sprang up and grew very fine again, and were not much 
damaged, and I had very fine potatoes in good season. A 
man one half mile off took a scythe and mowed his green 
rye off even and near the ground, and it sprang up and was 
■a middling crop. This was at the time of moon chang- 

6* 



(66) 

ing. The rest of the farmers did not cut off their rye, 
and it did not come to anything, and was all lost. Some 
years insects are much worse than at other years, and 
then lUst, blights, &c., are worse on grain, fruit trees, 
vegetables, &c. Sometimes the rust in places does no 
damagje, by the weather being extremely dry ; but in these 
cases the grain is not so large, and some of it shrink up 
as in lormer years, for let ihe seasons be as they may, the 
grain will not be tliasame as at other years spoken of. 

Note. — Worth Heeding. — If men gave three times as 
much attention as they now do to ventilation, ablution, 
and exercise in the open air, and one-third as much to eat- 
ing, furnishing, and late hours, the number of doctors, 
dentists, and apothecaries, and amount of neuralgia, dys- 
pepsia, gout, fever, and consumption would be changed 
in a corresponding ratio. Mankind would rapidly pre- 
sent the aspect of not only of a far healthier and thriftier, 
but a far more beautiful and more virtuous race. In the 
most of diseases, in man, beast, and other matters^ some 
simple modes of doctoring will cure, and what is prescrib- 
ed by some to cure, others will say that it will not do at 
all. Doctors disagree as well as others. Look back to 
forty and fifty years ago and see what was the mode of 
doctoring. In these days people rely on strong medicines, 
some are cured with what is called of but little use, and 
if they had known what was used their faith would have 
failed them. Faith and a contented and calm mind will 
do something sometimes to human nature. 

A WORD TO LADS AND OTHERS. 

Of the three modes of using tobacco, smoking is that 
which seems to have insinuated itself most extensively 
-among the youth of our community. Tobacco employed 
in this way, being drawn in with the vital breath, conveys 



(67) 

its poisoning influences into every part of the lungs, Ther 
the various fluids are entangled in the minute, spongy air 
cells and have time to exert their pernicious influences on 
the blood, not in vivifying but in vitiating it. The blood 
imbibes the stimulant, narcotic principle and circulates it 
through the whole system. It produces, in consequence,- 
a febrile action in those of delicate habits. Where ther§ 
is any tendency to phthesis, and the tubercular deposit iri 
the lungs, debility of those organs consequent on the us6 
of tobacco in this way must favor the deposit of tubercu- 
lous matter, and thus sow the seeds of consumption. Thi^ 
practice impairs the natural taste and relish for foodj 
lessens the appetite, and weakens the powers of the stom- 
ach, &c. The dyspepsia is a disease often caused from 
the use of tobacco. Many diseases are caused when eat- 
ing too much of food that is not good for the stomach and 
the system ; the course of nature is to be healthy, bust 
crossing it with food and bad medicine will soon destrojl 
the whole system. More people are killed in taking muhh: 
medicine than cured, very often, where the complainti is 
contrary to the medicine. :is\ 

Note. — ^This should have followed the article on tne 
potato rot, but was unintentionally omitted: 

The small end of the potato, which is full of eyes} is 
the part which produces the earliest ; the middle and body 
of the potato the late and larger ones. OH 

MADDER RED. ; r 

One pound of Alum to every seven pounds of gpt>W, 
adding, if you have it, one half pound crude tartar ; Mik 
your goods out of the preparation, and, after airing them 
well, lay them away in a warm room, in a heap, and well 
covered over with some old blankets, and let them sour 
till the day following ; empty and re-fill your kettle with 



(68) 

pure soft water; take three 'pounds of good madder, and 
wet it up with good, sharp vinegar, set it aside in some 
warm place to become sour till the next day, then put fire 
under the kettle, and put in the Madder, stir the dye and 
let it steep half an hour ; heat not, as boiling tarnishes the 
color; put in your goods three hours ; airing two or three 
times during the process ; take them out of the dye, rinse 
and dry them, scour in strong soap suds. 

For deep red, add one ounce of otter, two ounces muri- 
atic acid ; mix them as before, and let them stand two or 
three days, and then follow as above. 

TO DYE GREEN. 

After dyeing yellow with oak bark and alum, add into 
your yelllow dye, little by little, a compound prepared as 
follows : Take one ounce of good indigo ; reduce it to a 
fine powder; put it into a clean, well glazed earthen ves- 
sel ; pour on three ounces of very pure oil of vitriol, with 
a tea-spoonful of salt ; stir it together well ; and, when 
fermentation ceases, set it one side till next day, when it 
will be fit for use. Let this be done a day or two before 
you dj^e ; now add to this, say a table-spoonful at a time 
to your yellow dye ; stir up the dye well each time before 
putting in your goods ; continue the dips till the color suits. 

HOW TO MAKE HAIR OR CHAMPAIGN LIQUID. 

Take half a pint of spirits of wine, half an ounce of 
borax, and pulverize fine, and some colored water or bur- 
gam^ ; in some cases dilute the spirits of wine. 



(69) 

The Fruit-Raiser's and Farmer's Guide and Receipt Book, with 
some other useful Receipts for the Farmer. 



INDEX. 






Page 


Fruit Raising and Bitter Rot, 


3-13 


How to protect against Frost, 


13-17 


Bloody Murrain, . . . . 


19 


Poll Evil, 


20 


Mole Trap, 


21 


Hog's Sore Throat, - . 


22 


Horse's Founder, .... 


ib 


Bots in Horses, 


ib 


How to Cure the Kidney Worm, 


23 


Warts and Wens, .... 


ib 


Scratches on Horses, - - - 


ib 


Snake Bite, 


24 


Rat Killing, 


ib 


Horse Bleeding, .... 


26 


How to Kill Insects on Trees, 


ib 


Pruning Buds and Grafts, - - - 


ib 


The Blight in Fruit Trees, - 


30-1 


The Milk Sickness, - - 


32-40 


Rust on Grain, - . . - 


39-40 


Potato Raising and Rot, - 


. 40-47 


Belly- Ache aid Dry Murrain, 


48-'9 


Black Tongue in Horses and Cattle, - 


49 


Ring Bone on Horees, 


ib 


Spavin on Horses, - - - 


60 


Implication in the Kidneys, 


ib 


Liniments - - - - 


60-^1 



.(70) 

INDEX— Continued. 

Page. 

Bad Cuts and Sores, 51 

Worth Notice to All, ... - 62 

Bleeding at the Lungs, ... - 57 

Sore Breasts, ------ in 

Signs, - - o8-'9 

To Join Stone and Glass, - - - • 59 

Bloody Flux, i^ 

Lockjaw, GO 

Dropsv^ ---.--- lb 

Mad Dog Bite, 61 

Sore Throat and Hoarseness, - . - ib 

Bots in Horses, 62 

Head Gathering, ib 

Lame Back, -..--- ib 

Tooth Aching, .... - 63 

Powder for Silvering, . _ - - ib 

The Grape Rot, 64 

G<-ain Cut down by Hurricane, - - 65 

Worth Heeding, 66-'7 

Madder Red, ..... 67-'8 

To Dye Grten, 68 

To make Hair or Champaign Liquid, • i>^ 



683 






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